Tears, Travel, and True Love's Triumph
by BookLizard
Summary: My first story, please be kind. It's about Amelia and Larry, post-Battle of the Smithsonian, because I think they needed to end up together. Enjoy the story, and review! I hope you like it! Now complete!
1. Unseen Tears

**A/N: Okay, here it is. My first fan fiction. I hope I did a good job, but I'm not really sure, so that's what I'm depending on your guys for. Reviews are the only way I can get better. I've never really tried writing a story, before, either. I absolutely LOVE to read, and I spend nearly every free minute doing that, but writing my own is a first. Please, be kind. If you have suggestions for improvement, don't hesitate to tell me, even if it's something as little as a missing letter in a word. I want to know so I can fix it A.S.A.P. I would ask that you don't leave unnecessarily nasty or harsh comments, though. I'll do my best to answer reviews, as well. Right, then. I'll just get to it. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1: Unseen Tears

The sun was just beginning to set in Washington, D.C. The city itself was still a flurry of activity, but elsewhere things were quieting down. The last few guests were being chased out of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. "I'm sorry, sir," a guard said gently to a man seated in front of one of the exhibits, "but we're closing now. I need you to leave. You may feel free to come back tomorrow."

The man looked at the guard and smiled sadly. "Thank you for telling me. I didn't really mean to stay so long. I need to get home. I'm late for work as it is." He stood up and gave one last, sorrowful glance at the plane in front of which he had been sitting for hours, a vacant expression on his face. He thanked the guard and hurried out of the building.

Once again the guard wondered at the pain he saw in the man's eyes. It was the pain of loss, as the guard knew well from his own experiences, but what did the plane have to do with it? He read the placard in front of it. It told him that the plane had been flown across the Atlantic Ocean by Amelia Earhart.

Suddenly he guard wondered if the pilot, rather than the plane, was the source of the man's sorrow. No, of course not. How could she be? Amelia Earhart had disappeared years ago on her flight to circumnavigate the globe. The man's monthly visits to the museum had only begun recently. In fact, the first time he had come was five months ago, exactly one month after some mysterious vandals had caused a great deal of damage to the Smithsonian museums and the Archives underneath them That was one case the local police force never managed to solve.

"Ah, well," the guard said, shrugging. "S'pose it ain't none o' my business anyhow," he muttered to himself. He headed for the exit, flicking the lights of and locking the doors before he left.

Everything was quiet in the museum. The sun sank below the horizon. A curious squirrel hopped up to a window and peered into the building. Suddenly, the creature froze and bolted away. Something had moved inside and frightened it! The door to the basement and the Archives creaked slowly open, and a head with short, curly red hair, bright blue eyes, and an aviator's cap and goggles poked around the corner. Seeing no one, the woman walked out into the museum. She headed over to the red plane that had so fascinated the man earlier. In her hand was a large case, which she opened upon reaching her destination. It contained oils, polish, grease, cloths, and all of the other necessary items for maintaining a small aircraft.

After giving the plane a thorough polishing and cleaning, the woman looked around for something else to occupy her time. Seeing nothing readily available, she decided to go for a jog around the museum to take her mind off of things. The jog, however, quickly turned into a full out sprinting race against the demons of her memories. She ran as long as she could, but finally she collapsed, unable to take another step. There was nothing more she could do. Every night ended this way, trying desperately not to thin about HIM. She couldn't take it any more. She made her way slowly back to her plane, and as she sat down beside it, for the first time in six months, Amelia Earhart let herself cry for Larry Daley.

**A/N: Sorry it's a short chapter. I'm also sorry to say that they probably won't get much longer than this. I'm just not into writing huge novels or anything, nor do I feel that I'm good enough for that yet even if I COULD think up that much to write about. I hope you all bear with me. I'm doing my best here! Thanks for reading, and reviews are welcome.**


	2. Explanations and Worry

**A/N: I have two reviews already! Yay! Thank you both for taking the time to do that, it made me feel so good that someone likes my story. To answer a question from one of you, Larry drives down to visit the Air and Space Museum once a month. He didn't mean to spend as long as he did there, he lost track of time, and as a consequence he was rather late for work, but the exhibits covered for him until he got there. And MacPhee...well, he's not exactly the brightest crayon in the box, so no worries there.**

Chapter 2

When Larry arrived at the Natural History Museum in New York City, it was already after sunset. He was late for his shift, but he wasn't too worried. He knew President Roosevelt could take care of things for a few hours.

"Hello, Lawrence!" the president exclaimed as the night guard entered the museum. Larry hardly seemed to notice the cheerful greeting. He gave a halfhearted wave.

"Hullo, Teddy," he responded, more out of habit that a desire to be polite or friendly.

"I say, Lawrence, m'boy, what's got you looking so glum?" Teddy queried, reigning Texas in to walk alongside Larry. Then he remembered. "Ah. It's that day, isn't it? You went to see her."

"Not exactly, Teddy," the night guard replied. "They still have her in deep storage, remember?"

"Yes, so you go to stare at her plane and brood. Lawrence, I know you don't want to hear this, but you must. You need to let her go. You can't go on like this forever. It just wasn't meant to be. You're human, and she's…frankly, not."

"Teddy, tell me one thing. If it were me telling you to forget about Sacajawea, would you be able to do it? Could you just let her go, move on, forget about her? I know it's not quite the same situation, but…" he shrugged helplessly. "I didn't ask to fall in love with her, and even if I could stop, I don't think I'd want to. You of all people should understand."

Teddy smiled. "You know, lad, I had a feeling you'd say something like that. You really do love her, don't you?" Larry started to reply, but Teddy held up his hand to stop him. "Lawrence, to show our gratitude for the daring rescue you performed, we have decided, as a group, to give you a gift." The former president glanced around, and saw that the last few guests for the night were already heading out. "Dexter?"

The little monkey chittered at Larry and held something out to him that was wrapped in gold paper. When Larry took the paper off, he looked up at the group in confusion. "Don't get me wrong, guys, I'm grateful, really, but I don't get it. Why are you giving me Ahkmunrah's tablet?"

Ahkmunrah himself stepped forward out of the watching crowd. "It's a loan, Larry, so you can go visit her."

With a shocked expression, Larry looked down at the tablet and then once more at his friends. "How…how can I ever thank you? This means so much to me. I just can't even begin to say…" Tears in his eyes, Larry clutched the tablet to his chest. "Thank you. Thank you all for giving this up for me. You know it means you'll miss coming alive for one night, don't you? And what will Dr. MacPhee think?"

"He'll simply think it was a malfunction, a short-circuit or something," Teddy replied. "He has so little imagination."

"Hey, Gigantor," Jedediah called from the car at Larry's feet, "Lay one on 'er for me, would ya? And make it a good one!"

"Jedediah, please TRY for some sensitivity, would you?" Octavius requested, giving the cowboy a sharp cuff on the ear, making him yelp. "I apologize for my friend, Larry, he has yet to learn to keep his mouth shut," the tiny Roman commented, sending Jed another glare.

"Tomorrow, Lawrence, Ahkmunrah and I will perform your duties and keep order and take care of MacPhee. You, lad, will be spending time with the woman you love," Teddy informed Larry with a gentle smile.

"How do you plan to do that if you're just statues for the night?" Larry wondered aloud. Teddy opened his mouth to respond, seemed to think better of it, and closed it again. He shifted uncomfortably and looked at Ahkmunrah.

"I think you'd best explain."

Ahkmunrah smiled wryly. "I knew I would have to eventually. You see, Larry, I discovered something when Dexter stole the tablet. Whether or not it is in the museum, I come to life every night. This is because I have worked with the tablet so closely, touching it, using it, entering the combination. The magic has become permanent for me. I was teaching Teddy to use it as well, in case something should ever happen to me, so the magic has affected him as well. We will waken tomorrow night and complete your duties, as well as handling Dr. MacPhee. We can cover for you for one more night. It seems like the least we can do for you, after your daring rescue."

Larry had been listening to this explanation and nodding. "I guess that makes sense." Then realization hit him like a thunderbolt and he started. "Wait a minute! Amelia!"

"What is it, Lawrence?" Teddy asked, surprised at Larry's reaction.

"She used the tablet, too! She opened the gate so we could push Kahmunrah in and trap him. Does that mean she's been coming to life every night, too?"

Ahkmunrah nodded slowly, contemplating. "It might Larry, it just might."

"I gotta get to D.C.!" the night guard exclaimed, running for the doors.

"Lawrence, wait!" Teddy called. "Be sensible, lad. By the time you get there, the night will be nearly over. Wait until tomorrow, as was planned."

"Teddy, she's been alone every night for six months!" Larry said. "She's been by herself in that huge, spooky museum. She—"

"Can wait one more night, I'm sure, if it's been this long, Lawrence."

Larry looked ready to protest and opened his mouth angrily to reply. Then he closed it, looking faintly ashamed of himself. "You're right, Teddy. You usually are. I'm sorry."

"Not at all," Teddy replied cheerfully. As the exhibits began to disperse, Larry wandered away. He went over to a window and leaned on the sill, looking up at the stars.

"Oh, Amelia, please forgive me. If only I'd known. I'll be there tomorrow, I swear. Nothing can stop me!"

Nothing but Dr. MacPhee.

**A/N: Okay, there's chapter two for all of you! I hope you like it! If there are any more questions I'll do my best to answer them, just leave a note in a review or send me a message.**


	3. Forever?

**A/N: Thank you for your patience, and I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask for a lot more of it in the days to come. School is starting up again, so my free time is going to be SEVERELY limited. I'm going to try to post two chapters today, MAYBE I'll get to Chapter 5, I'm not sure yet. Part of the reason for that is the fact that this chapter is REALLY short. I think, personally that it says all it needs to, but I'd feel bad leaving you guys with just that litle teaser, so I'm going to try to give you at least one more chapter. Anyway, here it is!**

Chapter 3: Forever?

Swallowing the last of her tears, Amelia wiped her eyes dry on her scarf. "Oh, stop acting like a stupid lovesick ninny. Get over it, ya looby. If he was coming back, he'd have done it by now!" she scolded herself, though she had to choke back another sob at the thought. Until now, she had gotten through the seemingly endless nights by imagining that he was still coming back to see her, but something had been getting in the way, preventing him from doing so. Now, however, all of her carefully built illusions were gone, shattered by cold reality. "Why WOULD he come back, anyway? I'm just a statue during the day. I could never give him everything he deserves."

Another sudden thought nearly made her lose her newly regained composure. "Oh my gosh...I'm never going to age...I'm never going to forget...this is forever. I'm going to be alone like this forever..." Determined not to think about that anymore, becasue it couldn't do anyone any good, she firmly pushed that thought to the back of her mind. "Just take it one day at a time. Don't even consider tomorrow," she told herself.

She glanced at a clock and saw to her surprise that she had only half an hour left until sunrise. "I'd best get myself cleaned up. They'd be a little worried to see a statue crying." She heaved a sigh and trudged toward the ladies' restroom. "It's just so hard to care anymore."

Amelia gave herself a mental slap and shook her head. "Enough, already! I need to stop feeling sorry for myself." Reaching the sinks in the restroom, she turned the tap and splashed some cold water on her face. Examining herself critically in the mirror, she was pleased to see that few signs betrayed her earlier lapse in self-control. "Well, at least ONE thing went right tonight."

When she had finished wasing her face, Amelia felt that she had a firmer grip on her emotions. There would be no more outbursts like tonight's. With that resolution, she went back down into the Archives to await the dawn. She assumed her typical pose and then, just as the first faint fingers of sunlight began to grip the horizon, she became a lifeless statue once more. Her eyes, which, even as a statue had previously held a certain intelligent, adventurous spark, were now filled only with a deep sorrow that seemed to come from her very soul.

**A/N: Wow...that's sad...don't worry, though, because things will start to get better soon. Once again, I apologize that it's so short, but I felt that I didn't really need to say any more. Sometimes simple is better. Okay, Chapter four coming soon...hopefully...and I hope you liked this one! Please review and let me know what's up, if there's anything you want to know more about, anything you want to ask me questions about, or anything you think I should do differently. I'm all ears. Or...eyes...whatever. Thanks to those of you that have reviewed already, I appreciate it so much! You've all been so nice! Okay, sorry, I'll stop rambling now...**


	4. Bubblegum Bother

**A/N: As promised, Chapter Four. This one's at least a little longer than Chapter Three, thank goodness. I don't actually have Chapter Five typed up yet, but it is written, so I'm going to try to get that typed up today, too. I might not be able to get it finished, though. I'm so busy getting ready for school to start tomorrow. Eww...anyway, here's Chapter Four, I hope you like it, please let me know what you think! Enjoy!**

Chapter 4: Bubblegum Bother

The same sun was beginning to creep through the windows of the Natural History Museum in New York City as Larry Daley saw the last of the exhibits back to their places.

"Good luck tonight, Lawrence," Teddy said as he drew his sword.

Larry nodded his thanks and prepared to clock out for the day. As he was leaving the building, though, Dr. MacPhee caught him by the arm and dragged hi back inside.

"I really thought we had moved past these foolish pranks," he said angrily, dragging Larry along with him to the Easter Island Head display. Larry gaped at the scene before him.

Someone had apparently decided to give in the statue's frequent requests for gum, a mistake which Larry had been careful to make only once. Remembering how long it had taken him to cleanup that mess, he shuddered. "Sir, I'm not sure who is responsible for this, but I assure you I had nothing to do with it," he told the livid museum director. "I apologize for the mess."

"You apologize? Well, that's all very well, but that's not going to get this cleaned up, now is it? Dr. MacPhee asked stonily. "And frankly, I don't CARE who did it. Some night guard you are for letting them into the museum. You will clean this up. I don't care how long It takes, you will not stop until every speck of that…" here he paused, apparently trying and failing to find a word bad enough to describe the sticky mess "…is cleaned up. Am I clear?"

Larry looked at him in dismay. This mess was worse than the last time, and likely to take more than one day of cleaning if he was to avoid damaging the statue, something which he suspected Dr. MacPhee would prefer. "But sir, I didn't do it! I have somewhere important that I need to be!" He couldn't leave Amelia again!

"I already told you, didn't I? I don't care if you did it or not, it's still your fault and you will fix it. Understood? Whatever else you have to do can wait."

Larry, realizing that protestation would probably make his situation worse, and, still hoping to make it to D.C. by sunset, ran for water, soap, and a scrub brush and set to work immediately.

By closing time that evening, however, the job seemed scarcely begun, and Larry was ready to weep with frustration. There was no way he was going to make it to D.C. tonight. He'd never finish in time. As the museum awoke, the Easter Island Head grunted in surprise and attempted to mutter something around the gum encasing his mouth. Whatever it was, it sounded suspiciously like "Dum-dum, no more gum-gum." Larry paused only to glare at the statue and rest his aching arms for a moment, and then resumed his task.

He heard the sound of hooves behind him. "Lawrence, what are you still doing here? Go on, I'll take care of this. Go and be with your lady love."

"I can't, Teddy, I'll' get fired again if Dr. MacPhee finds out, and then who'll take care of you guys?"

"Well, then we won't tell Dr. MacPhee, will we? Now go Lawrence, she needs you!"

Larry hesitated for a moment longer before dashing off toward the exit. "Thank you, Teddy!" he called behind him as he left.

Teddy smiled and shook his head. "Good luck lad," he whispered.

**A/N: I PROMISE Amelia and Larry meet up in the next chapter! lol, for those of you that have been anxiously awaiting their reunion. For now, please let me know what you thought of it so far, and I'll try to post more A.S.A.P. Oh, and by the way, for those of you who may not have gotten this, Larry didn't bring the tablet with him when he left for D.C., so the museum will open as normal, and the exhibits will keep MacPhee busy to cover for Larry.**


	5. Intruder Alert!

**A/N: Okay, Chapter 5. After this, I'm not really sure how fast I'm going to be able to update, and not just because of school. Chapter 6 is the last finished chapter I have. *sheepish grin* I'm still working. I promise, I'm working as fast as I can and as fast as the inspiration allows. Writer's Block is giving me trouble. I hope to have Chapter 7 finished soon, though. Anyway, enough blabber. Back to the wonderful world of Amelia and Larry...I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's much longer than the last two! Yay!!!**

Chapter 5: Intruder Alert!

Amelia was in the middle of performing her nightly plane-cleaning routine when she heard something at the doors. It was a muffled thump followed by the sound of someone muttering angrily. Amelia crept closer to the doors, a little frightened, but needing to know what was going on. "This place gets downright spooky at night," she murmured. Just then, the noises stopped. Becoming more worried, Amelia hurried to the window and peered out. There was someone at the doors, trying to get in!

She opened the window a crack, enough that she could be heard through it. "Who are you?" she called, expecting the person to be a burglar who would run when he knew he'd been discovered. Instead, whoever it was jumped and spun around, looking for the source of the voice.

"Who's there?" the figure asked in a voice that was clearly male. something about it seemed very familiar to Amelia, almost like...no. She wasn't going to think about him anymore.

"I asked you first, so you answer first. Who are you and what are you doing here?" Amelia snapped, getting impatient, and also rather annoyed at whoever it was for making her think about a topic she was quite keen to avoid.

"I'm...Amelia? Is that you?" the figure asked, an incredulous note entering his voice. "Amelia, its me! Let me in. Don't you recognize me? I'm Larry!"

Amelia backed away from the window shaking her head. "No, it can't be..." she whispered, shocked. Suddenly her expression hardened. Her face was cold, her eyes like blue chips of ice. "No! You left me here ALONE for SIX MONTHS! I'd given up all hope that you were ever going to show up! NOW you decide to come back fro me? Well, too bad, buster. I am NOT opening this door!"

Larry, who by this point had found the semi-open window, just looked at her surprised. "Amelia, please, I'm so sorry! I didn't know! They just told me last night that the tablet would do this to you. I never would have stayed away otherwise! Oh, Amelia, please believe me, I never..." Here he trailed off. His eyes had finally adjusted to the gloom inside the building, and they came to rest on Amelia. When he saw the tears streaking down her face, he understood. She wasn't really as furious with him as she pretended to be. It was just her way of covering up the hurt that she was feeling.

Larry dug his fingers into the small opening in the window and heaved it open the rest of the way. Then he climbed through as best he could landing in an ungainly heap on the other side with a muffled thud. He stood up carefully, and when he had ascertained that nothing was broken or sprained, he hurried over to Amelia and put his arms around her. She tried to pull away for a second, and then she gave up. She reached up and he felt a tentative, feather-light touch on his cheek.

"It really is you," she whispered. "I'm not dreaming." She flung her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shirt. "Oh, I missed you so much. I thought you'd never come back."

"Amelia, I could never abandon you. If I'd known you were coming to life alone every night, I would have come that much sooner," Larry replied. He put his fingers under her chin and lifted her face so that she was looking him in the eye. "I love you," he told her quietly, and he wiped away the last of her tears.

She smiled up at him. "I know. I guess I always did. It's just...I had hoped to see you again before now." A puzzled expression crossed her face. "Aren't you supposed to be at work? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'd much rather have you here, but how'd you get away?"

"Teddy said he'd take care of thing for tonight. The exhibits said it was a thank-you gift for rescuing them. They're keeping Dr. MacPhee busy so he won't notice me missing."

"So...this is it? We won't be able to see each other again after this?" Amelia asked him, trying and failing to sound nonchalant about the matter.

"No, we'll figure something out, I promise. I just can't give you up. I need you, Amelia. I realized that these past six months, when I noticed that every other thought was about you, and every little thing reminded me of you. I just couldn't get you off of my mind, no matter what I did. I visited, you know. Exactly one month after the battle, and every month after that. I came down and spent the day here. Right over there, in fact." Larry pointed to the spot that he had occupied so recently.

"My plane..." Amelia whispered, touched. "It seems that I badly misjudged you earli--" she began, only to be cut off by Larry's hand over her mouth.

"Forgiven and forgotten," he told her, smiling again. "You had good reason. I understand completely."

Some of the old spark came back into her eyes then, and she took his hand off of her mouth. "Well, at least I get you all to myself for tonight. I want to enjoy it while it lasts. We'll worry about tomorrow later. For now, I want all the news. How is everyone?"

Larry rolled his eyes. "They're as aggravating as ever. I suppose I wouldn't love them all quite as much if they weren't, but still..."

Amelia laughed at that. She pulled him over to her plane and they sat down, leaning on the wheel. "All right, what did they do to make you say that?"

"Well, the thing is, I'm not SURE who did it, although my money's on Dexter, just because he's Dexter." Larry proceeded to tell her all about the bubble gum incident of that morning.

Amelia listened with an amused smile, and when he finished she shook her head, chuckling. "You certainly have your hands full watching over that lot," she commented.

"Tell me about it." He sighed comically, but sobered almost instantly. "I'd imagine it's been...awful alone here every night. I'm so sor--" he stopped. Amelia, with a twinkle in her eye, removed her hand from his mouth.

"My turn," she informed him. "Forgiven and forgotten. And I don't really have much to tell. I followed the same routine nearly every night. First I cleaned Old Bessie--"

"Oh, and here I always thought my visits just happened to be right after the exhibit was cleaned!" Larry interrupted. Amelia raised one eyebrow and just looked at him. "Sorry. Please continue," he said, chagrined.

Amelia chuckled again. "Anyway, that never really took all night, so I just sort of...found other ways to distract myself. Cleaning other things, going for a run, whatever I could do to take my mind off of...well, off of you, to be honest." She blushed and ducked her head in embarrassment.

"I'm flattered that I'm so often in your thoughts," Larry told her. He brushed a stray curl out of her eyes and bent down to kiss her. Amelia eagerly kissed him back, and when they pulled back, she snuggled into his embrace and sighed contentedly, happy to just let him hold her.

"I missed you so much," she whispered. "I'm glad you finally came."

"I'm so glad to be here, " he replied. "I've missed you, too."

The rest of the night passed in much the same fashion, with the two of them sharing news and humorous anecdotes, sometimes just sitting in comfortable, companionable silence, and occasionally exchanging sweet, lingering kisses.

All too soon, though, Larry glanced at the clock. "Oh, crap. Amelia, I've gotta go, and you'd better get back downstairs in a hurry. It's nearly sunrise." He stood up reluctantly and reached down to help Amelia up as well.

"I wish you didn't have to go. I wish I didn't have to stay. This is all such a mess!" she cried, frustrated.

"I know. It's going to be hard to work out, but we'll manage. I know it. Somehow, it'll all work out," Larry said, trying to sound more confident than he felt.

"I certainly hope you're right," Amelia said. She sighed sadly. "When will we see each other again?" she asked him.

"Whenever I can get away," Larry promised, fervently hoping that he could take another night off soon. he hated leaving her here alone like this. It just felt so wrong.

"Then I'll open the window every night, just in case," she told him, "and I'll watch for you. I hope you can come soon," she added, echoing his thoughts perfectly.

"I'll try my best. Dr. MacPhee owes me a couple of personal days, I think, so I hope he'll let me off. I'll be here as soon as the sun sets. Until then, though..." he trailed off. "Well, I'd at least like something to remember you by."

Amelia grinned. "Well, all right, then, Ace. If you insist." She hooked a finger around his tie and pulled him close before kissing him so thoroughly that it left his head spinning. By the time she finally pulled away, he was having trouble remembering how to breathe. "Good enough for you?" she asked playfully.

"It'll do..." he managed finally. Larry personally thought she had never looked more beautiful. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes sparkled like sapphires, and that smile...he just wanted to kiss her again. So he did. After a short time, however, he pulled away regretfully. "I should go. If the guards caught me here..."

"Oh, don't worry. They don't come in this building until daylight," Amelia said. She snickered. "I'm afraid they think a ghost decided to move in...oh, about six months ago. Now they're all too scared to come here until well after sunrise. But you're right. You do have to go. I'll see you soon."

"As soon as I can possibly manage," he promised once again. He headed over to the window through which he had entered and managed to make it to the other side much more gracefully than his previous attempt. He looked back at her. "Just remember, I love you. I'll be back soon."

"And I'll be waiting," she promised him. Little did she know how soon she'd be forced to break that promise.

**A/N: I'm sorry, I know it's a cliffhanger...You're just gonna have to bear with me, though. It took me FOREVER to type this one up, and I don't think I'll be able to finish typing six tonight. I'll try to put it up when I get home from school tomorrow, but even then I can't make any promises. I'll do my best, though. Until then, read, enjoy, review, tell me how you feel, how to improve, and ponder what could happen next. lol, it might not be what you think!**


	6. Travel and Tribulations

**A/N: Okay, guys, this'll be it for a little while, I'm afraid. I have to finish writing chapter 7 before I can post it. Hopefully I'll be able to have it done by this weekend, but I can't promise. I just wanted to send out a thank-you to my wonderful readers, especially the ones that have reviewed. You guys rock! Thanks for all of the compliments. I absolutely LOVE getting reviews. Thanks for sticking with me. One of you asked why Amelia would have to break her promise, and my answer to that is to read on. You'll find out in this chapter. So anyway. enough from me, here's Chapter 6 for you! I hope you like it!**

Chapter 6: Travels and Tribulations

When Larry got to the museum that night, Dr. MacPhee met him at the door. "I trust that there will be no more childish pranks tonight," he stated firmly, making the request into an order.

"No, sir, there won't be. At least, not if I can help it," Larry replied. He was anxious for the director to leave so he could talk to Teddy privately.

Dr. MacPhee seemed to have other intentions, however, because he was going nowhere. "I wanted to talk to you about something rather important. Te Smithsonian's taking a few of their old exhibits out of storage and putting them together for a new traveling exhibit, one that will depict the evolution of th role and social status of women throughout history. It will be stopping here for a time, after which it will move on to London. We're the last stop in the U.S., you see. There are a few other American museums in line before us. I'm not sure where it's moving to after London, but it's probably a safe bet that there will be a few other European museums along the way. This tour is going to be a trial run so each of the museums can test the popularity of the new exhibit. After it's over, it will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. The Smithsonian needs to raise some more funds for a renovation project that they are planning, and they figured this was the best way to do it. Thanks to the incredible popularity of these new animatronic exhibits, we have the funds to be a top competitor in the bidding. Of course, the new exhibits would have to be re-done and animated, so perhaps it would be easier to start from scratch. We'd still have to purchase the rights to the exhibit though, we wouldn't want another museum playing copycat. Hmm...we'll see how it does. I think it will probably attract quite a crowd, honestly. After all, what young girl wouldn't want to talk to people like Susan B. Anthony and Amelia Earhart?" This last part was said almost to himself as he considered the possibilities that the new exhibit presented. Larry however, hadn't been paying attention to the director at all. That is, he hadn't been paying attention until the end, when he heard Amelia's name.

"Amelia Earhart, sir?" he repeated dumbly, wondering if he'd heard right. He could hardly believe his ears.

"That's what I said, isn't it?" Dr. MacPhee snapped impatiently. "Yes, the old Amelia Earhart waxwork will be part of the touring exhibit."

"And...you want to buy it for the museum here?" Larry asked, hoping he'd heard correctly.

"Were you paying any attention at all?" came the angry response. "We'll see how it goes, what the crowds think. We'll take a survey, voting, something like that to see how the public likes the exhibit. We MIGHT buy it if the results are good enough. Now, surely there's something you should be doing. Go do it and stop bothering me!" with that parting shot, Dr. MacPhee stalked off toward his office.

Larry's head was reeling. Amelia was coming here! Not for a while, he reminded himself, firmly pushing down his mounting excitement. "And she's going to be so disoriented when they move her, the poor thing. And what if a night guard at one of those other museums catches her? I have to warn her!" he muttered to himself, hardly aware that he was talking out loud. A few guests passing by eyed him strangely, wondering why he seemed to be having a conversation with himself, but he was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to care, or even really register the fact that they were staring. "MacPhee's bound to notice if I go missing tonight, though, so that's not an option, but I HAVE to talk to her..." he trailed off. "Well, this is just perfect. Maybe tomorrow night I can get off work..."

He went through the rest of his shift in much the same manner, muttering to himself occasionally and trying to figure out a way to contact Amelia and warn her. When the night was finally over and all of the exhibits had become statues once more in their respective places, Larry was about ready to drop from exhaustion. He headed outside and got in his car, knowing that he would need a good day's sleep if he wanted to be any good tomorrow to think about this newest predicament. He got home, changed, and fell into bed, asleep before his head touched the pillow.

**A/N: Okay, done. I hope it was okay. I know this one's a lot shorter than the last one, but it had a good bit of information to digest. Man, Dr. MacPhee liked to hear himself talk, doesn't he? He's got quite a bit of dialogue here. What do you think? Will Larry be able to fix this? How's he gonna do it? You'll just have to wait and see! I'll try to post it as soon as I finish writing it. My friend is bugging me to finish it, he's acting as a beta reader for me, so don't worry. Someone's nagging me to finish. I'll get there eventually, I promise!**


	7. Tempus Fugit

**A/N: Okay, this chapter is a monster, longer than even Chapter 5. That's why it took me so long to post it. I had to write it first, and then i had to type it up. I don't type very quickly, so that took forever. Plus, my weekend has been crazily busy. So anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I hope it's enough to hold you over for a little until I get chapter 8 written. I have it planned out, just not written yet. I'l get to work on it A.S.A.P. Okay, enough chatter, on to the story! Have fun!**

**Chapter 7: Tempus Fugit**

Something was buzzing annoyingly in Larry's ear. Again. For the third time, he reached out to smack it. He rolled back over to go back to sleep. A few seconds later, however, he sat bolt upright and looked frantically at his clock. Stupid snooze alarm…why had they ever been invented? The only made people like him late. "Crap, crap, crap…" he muttered to himself as he groped about blindly in the dark for his clothes. "Ouch!" He had kicked something hard, probably his bedpost. After fumbling around for a few more minutes, he managed to locate a pair of jeans and what appeared to be a reasonably clean T-shirt. At least, it didn't smell or anything. He got changed and snagged his shoes from where he'd kicked them off at the end of his bed the night before. He'd change into his uniform when he got to work. "Gotta clean this up," he muttered to himself as he dressed. "I'll get right to it. Tomorrow. Or maybe not…" He knew he'd been neglecting his apartment in the past few months, but he just hadn't had the energy to care about it before, and now he didn't have the time to clean it up.

By the time he was changed, Larry had begun to feel slightly more awake. Awake enough to remember things like window shades and light switches, anyway. He stumbled over to the window and pulled back the curtains and opened the blinds, wincing and groaning as his eyes adjusted to the light of the setting sun. _The setting sun. _Crap. He had REALLY overslept this time.

Larry dashed for his bedroom door, tripping over a pile of junk on the floor as he did so. He ran into the kitchen, grabbed a couple of energy bars from a drawer and a bottle of Gatorade from the refrigerator, and stuffed them in the duffel bag with all of the other supplies he needed to keep the museum occupants entertained. Then he dashed out the door. If eh hurried, he'd just about make it to the museum in time.

Sure enough, Larry rushed in the doors of the building just as his shift was beginning. He clocked in and changed in record time and pulled out one of his energy bars, which he unwrapped and ate in a few famished bites. The other quickly followed, and he chugged the Gatorade, too, so he could get upstairs. Once there, though, he found that he had little to do but impatiently await the end of the museum's night hours.

When the last guests (a couple of teenage boys who had been attempting to make their own personal additions to the cave drawings in the Neanderthal exhibit when Larry found them) had been chased out, Larry sighed with relief. "Finally."

Teddy, who had ridden up in time to hear Larry's last remark, nodded emphatically. "I couldn't agree more. Say, Lawrence, how did it go the other night? Was she glad to see you?"

Larry smiled fondly, remembering. "Yeah. I mean, she wasn't very happy with me at first, but once I'd—" He stopped short when Teddy raised his hand to cut him off.

"Lawrence, do you hear that noise?" the former president asked, sounding puzzled.

"What noise? I don't hear any—" this time, Larry cut himself off. He had begun to hear a peculiar droning sound. It seemed to be coming from above the museum. Suddenly, Larry realized what it was. He wanted desperately to be right, yet the sensible half of him hoped that he wasn't. Either way, he had to be sure, so he rushed out the front doors. Looking up, his suspicions were confirmed: a familiar, bright red Lockheed 5B Vega was coming in for a landing.

Larry shook his head in consternation. As the plane taxied to a stop, he hurried down the museum steps. Almost before it ceased moving, the door was flung open and Amelia jumped out. She rushed over to Larry. "I know I shouldn't have taken the plane, especially with the recent security boost, but I think this might qualify as a bit of an emergency. They're shipping me out to California! Apparently I'm to be part of some new raveling exhibit on—"

"Yeah, I know, MacPhee told me last night," Larry interrupted. "I didn't know California was the first stop, though…"

"How does MacPhee know? And why did he tell you?" Amelia asked, confused.

"Because the exhibit's coming here. We're the last stop in the U.S.," Larry answered.

"Last stop in the U.S.? You mean we're leaving the COUNTRY?!?" Amelia was starting to get a little panicky. "I thought we were just staying in California for a few months. This is bad…oh, this is VERY bad…"

Larry pulled her into a tight embrace. "It's okay, Amelia, don't worry. We'll figure something out. We've got time."

She pulled away and stared at him incredulously. "Time? Larry, we're being shipped out TOMORROW." She bit her lip as she watched all the color drain from his face, which had taken on a shocked expression. "I take it you didn't know that part," she said.

"Uh, no. No, I did not," Larry answered absently. His mind was racing. He took a deep breath and let it out. "Okay, um, let's go inside so people don't come by and see…" he trailed off, remembering the plane. "Geez…could you try to find somewhere to park that's a little less conspicuous? I'll get everyone else inside," he said, throwing a warning glance at al the exhibits that had followed him outside. "Okay, everybody back inside, now! Move!" he ordered as Amelia ran off to move the plane.

She came back about half an hour later, breathless. She had hidden the plane behind some derelict old building several blocks away and then sprinted back to the museum. "I guess all of those night runs around the museum were good for something after all," she joked once she had caught her breath.

Larry had found Teddy, Ahkmunrah, Teddy, and Sacagawea while she had been gone and enlisted their help. Jedediah had come along just to be contrary, so of course Octavius had tagged along as well. They moved over to a group of benches and sat, and Larry explained the situation to everyone, with Amelia chiming in at times to add something he'd forgotten or correct him. When they'd finished, the others looked thoughtful, but worried. All except Jed, that is.

"Aw, shoot, Gigantor, I thought you'd called this powwow to tell us you'd popped the question and you two were getting' hitched," the little cowboy exclaimed loudly, a mischievous grin on his face. His smile widened as both Larry and Amelia blushed furiously. A second later, though, he yelped. Amelia had picked him up by the back of his shirt. "Hey! Quit manhandling me!" he exclaimed indignantly.

"Now you listen to me, midget man," Amelia hissed. "This is a serious problem, and the solving of it is NOT helped in any way by your smart little remarks. If you have something useful to say, which, for some reason, I doubt that you do, then by all means, please speak up. If you do not, however, kindly shut your trap. If I hear one more wisecrack from you, I am going to find a very high shelf and leave you up there. Do you understand me?" When he didn't respond, she shook him slightly, not enough to hurt, just enough to get his attention. "I asked if you understood me. Well?"

The tiny Westerner just nodded dumbly, completely cowed by the pilot's fierce manner and risk treatment of him.

Larry looked at Amelia in surprise and awe. "I'm VERY impressed. Can you teach me that? He never listens to anything I tell him."

"You just have to show him who's boss," she informed the night guard, grinning. "Kind of like a naughty puppy."

Jed scowled at that. "I can see who wears the pants in this relationship," he muttered.

Amelia raised her eyebrows at him, a clear warning. "Excuse me, mister? Was that a wisecrack? Do I need to find a shelf and put you on time-out?"

Jed gaped at her. "You wouldn't dare."

"Wanna bet?" she retorted. "Just try me. Keep talking, buddy."

"Honestly, Jed, she would. Don't even test her. Trust me on that," Larry advised. "She means every word she says."

Jed seemed to consider it for a minute, and then he acquiesced. "Fine. I'll keep my mouth shut. I apologize fer bein' rude before."

"Apology accepted. Thank you," Amelia said and turned away trying to hide a grin. "Now that that issue is dealt with, back to the real problem. What can we do to stop the exhibit from being purchased by another museum?"

Larry hesitated. "I don't know. The exhibit will be a huge hit here no matter what, at least during the night hours. Girls will love being able to talk to such famous women, have conversations with their role models. That in itself is another problem, though. Hopefully MacPhee won't question it too closely, because we'd have a hard time explaining why they only come to life here."

"Let's worry abut that if it actually happens, okay?" Amelia said. "For one thing, we have quite enough to be getting on with here. For another, how bright can the man really be if he hasn't figured out that something's a little weird by now?"

I guess you're right. Knowing him, he'll be too happy with the extra publicity to question anything." Larry rolled his eyes. "Besides, he'd explain it away as some marvel of technology. The man's so closed-minded. But what else can we do?"

"Sabotage," Teddy suggested. "No permanent damage, of course," he hastened to add, seeing Amelia open her mouth to object. "Just enough to make the exhibit less popular, make it seem like it's more trouble than it's worth." Every word he spoke was earning him more disapproving looks from those around him, especially Sacagawea. Suddenly, though, she seemed to understand what he was doing, for her face lit up and she began whispering in his ear. Teddy only shook his head in response, and she sighed.

The group sat in silence for a few minutes. Finally Amelia spoke up. "I'm not so sure I like the idea of sabotage. It just doesn't seem…right. I really don't think I can do it. I'm sorry."

Teddy and Sacagawea looked at each other. "I told you she'd say that," she murmured.

"And you were absolutely correct, my dear," Teddy told her. Turning to Amelia, he added "You have a very clear sense of right and wrong, a very admirable quality."

Amelia raised one eyebrow. "Were you testing me?"

Teddy looked a little embarrassed. "You're very perceptive, too."

Larry's jaw dropped. "Teddy! How could you?" He seemed like he wanted to continue, but Amelia stopped him by laying a hand on his arm.

"It's okay. Your friends are just looking out for you. I understand," she told him softly. She bit her lip and looked down, thinking. Then she looked back up and met Teddy's eyes. "Well? Do I pass inspection, sir?" she asked, a hint of defiance in her voice.

"With flying colors, my dear girl," he answered. When she snickered, he thought about what he'd said. "Oh. No pun intended."

Larry just shook his head, resigned. "Okay, you know what, this isn't actually the issue here. If sabotage is out, what can we do to fix this?"

"Maybe…" Amelia hesitated. "Maybe we should just wait and see what happens. I mean, Dr. MacPhee was so interested in buying the exhibit, and he said you have the money for it, so maybe it'll all work out." When Larry stared at her, she held up her hands in self-defense. "I don't like it any more than you do, but what other choice do we have? We're leaving tomorrow."

"You're right, I guess," Larry said, "but I'm going to go crazy worrying and missing you. I wish there was some way we could…hey!" His face lit up and he began searching hi pockets for something. Finally he pulled out his cell pone. "Take this with you. That way we can keep in touch and you can keep me updated and call if you need help."

Amelia smiled. "Thank you. I hope I don't need help, and that everything works out. For now, though, I'd better head out if I want to get to D.C. by sunrise." She got up and held her hand out to Larry. "Walk me to the door?"

"Gladly," he replied, taking her hand. The rest of the group tactfully made their exits, with Ahkmunrah carrying a protesting Jed away when the little cowboy would have stayed behind to spy.

Larry stopped Amelia when they reached the door. "Be careful, call me, and don't forget me when you meet some cute male exhibit in California, okay?"

She laughed. "That's a good one. Forget you? That's never gonna happen, Ace. You have nothing to worry about. You're the only one for me."

Larry smiled at her, and then pretended to be doubtful. "I don't know. Maybe you' should do a better job of convincing me, Amelia."

She rolled her eyes. "Men." She grinned as she said it, though, and she leaned in to kiss him. He responded immediately, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer, deepening the kiss. One of his hands reached up of its own accord to tangle itself in her curls. Amelia, who was starting to feel a little weak in the knees, put both arms around his neck, partly for support and partly to make sure he wouldn't stop.

When they finally broke apart, both of them were dizzy from lack of oxygen ad having trouble remembering how to breathe. After she finally had regained breath enough to talk, Amelia smiled and said, "You know, I'm going to miss that, too."

Larry laughed. "You've convinced me, by the way," he added.

"Good. I'd hate to leave you doubting me. I really DO need to leave now. I'll call you tomorrow and let you know that I got there safely, and yes, I will be careful. As careful as I can," she told him, forestalling his warnings. "Until…whenever it is that we end up here. I'll miss you." After one final, quick goodbye kiss, Amelia turned and hurried down the steps. When she hi the ground, she took off I the direction of her plane. She kept looking back, though, and Larry stood at the door waving until long after she was out of sight. Even then, he stood at the door as if frozen.

Some time later, he heard the drone of the plane's engines and he looked up to see the cherry-red Lockheed flying over the museum toward D.C. "Be careful, my brave Amelia," he whispered. Then he turned and started back into the museum, already feeling the tight ache of loneliness in his chest, despite knowing that his friends waiting for him just inside. He knew it just wouldn't feel right again until he knew that Amelia was safe and everything was going to be all right.

**A/N: Phew. Glad that's over. My fingers need a break, and my homework needs some time, too. lol. Let me know what you thought, what to change, etc. I'll try to have the next chapter done and up sometime soon!**


	8. To Where You Are

**A/N: Okay, I'm sorry it took so long for me to get this up, my schedule for the year just took off and is INSANE, and it's getting worse as of tomorrow, the fall play is starting up and I got one of the two leads, so I'm gonna be working non-stop on that. I'll still try to update as often as I can, and I'm going to give you two chapters today to reward your patience. I hope you'll stick with me and keep reading, I'm going to do my best. And I'm not giving up, so don't worry if there's nothing new for a while, I just had to take a break to maybe snatch a few hours of sleep a week. Okay, here's chapter 8. Enjoy it.**

**Chapter 8: To Where You Are**

Three months and five museums later, Amelia called Larry and, for the first time, she was able to say the words he'd been waiting and hoping to hear. "We're on our way," she told him happily. "I think we're set to arrive sometime tomorrow morning. I can't talk for long tonight, though. It's kind of awkward and cramped in this crate."

"Oh, thank goodness. I can't wait to see you again!" Larry exclaimed. "So, NOW will you tell me who some of the others in the exhibit are? I want to know who I'll be guarding."

Amelia just laughed. "You've asked me that question every night so far, and you've always gotten the same answer. I'm not telling you, it's a surprise. What makes you think I'm going to change my mind now? You can wait until tomorrow. I'll give you a hint about one of them, though. There's a reason London wants the exhibit. I mean, it couldn't be all Americans, could it? Think about it, I bet you'll get it. She's REALLY famous."

Larry sighed. "I'll just wait until morning."

There was silence on the other end of the line for a few minutes, and then Amelia spoke up almost timidly. "Larry…I really hate to ask this of you, I know you'll be tired at the end of your shift, but…"

"Of course I'll be here when you get dropped off, Amelia," he told her, guessing what it was that she didn't quite want to say. "I'll make sure the loaders take good care of you."

"It's not just me I'm worried about; it's the others, too. I wouldn't ask, except the last movers were…frankly, incompetent, and several of the exhibits sustained minor damage. I'm sure they'd rather spend their first night among the living in good condition."

"Damaged? Amelia, you weren't hurt, were you? Because if you were…"

"No, no, not me, I'm fine. I was awake at the time; we were dropped off at night, so I wasn't hurt. Don't worry."

"Don't YOU worry, either. I will personally oversee the delivery. I could hardly miss it! I'll even stay and help them set up the exhibit."

"No, no, you don't have to do that. You'll be tired. Go home and get some sleep," Amelia protested. "I'd rather have you awake at night. Besides, there may be a bit of trouble with a couple of the new arrivals, and you'll need to be wide awake to deal with that."

"Trouble? Trouble how? What kind of trouble? Who?" Larry questioned anxiously. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, you'll find out in the morning," Amelia replied mysteriously. "Ouch. For now, though, I'm afraid I have to say good night. My arm is starting to cramp up something awful, and I can't stay on the phone much longer. I'll see you tomorrow night, all right?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world. You DO enjoy frustrating me, though, don't you?" Larry asked her, sounding a little petulant. "Okay, Amelia. I'll let you go for now. See you tomorrow. I can hardly wait! Love you."

"Love you, too," she replied. "Bye for now!"

"Bye." As he hung up the phone, Larry felt his heart lift. Even the worry over the new exhibits couldn't dampen his spirits for long. Amelia would be here tomorrow, finally! With this thought, he hurried off to make sure that everything was ready for the new arrivals.

**A/N: Wow, that was short. I'll put up another one becasue you guys deserve a lot more than that, but I only have one more chapter finished. Again, it may take me a while, but I'm doing my best. I must beg your indulgence, my good readers. lol...sorry it's not much!**


	9. Moving Day

**A/N: Okay, last update for a while, if i thought chapter 7 was a monster chapter, I'm not really sure what 10 is. It's gonna take me FOREVERY to type it. And that's only when I can find TIME for it, beacuse I have absolutely NO free time, and I kid you not, it simply DOES NOT EXIST, for a long while. Never fear, I'm doing my best, and I'm not giving up on this story. Sorry it's another short chapter! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 9: Moving Day**

When the shipping van pulled up to the loading dock at the rear of the museum, Larry was right there waiting to greet it. "Be careful with that," he exclaimed as the moving men began lifting the boxes containing the waxworks out of the truck.

"Listen, mister, we knows our job, so let us get on with it, huh?" said one of the men, a big, burly fellow with a square jutting jaw that vaguely resembled that of a bulldog. "Just stay outta our way!"

"The contents of those boxes are very delicate. I just want to make sure you know that. They're already been damaged once by careless movers, and they're very valuable, so—watch the step!" The other loader, a short, squat man with thick, bulging muscles and a crooked nose that had been broken and healed badly, had tripped going up the staircase that led to the main lobby of the museum. His end of the box had dipped dangerously and a muffled thump could be heard from inside it as the contents slid around.

"Aww, Jerry, watch where ya put them oversized feet o' yourn, will ya?" his companion complained loudly.

"Shaddap, 'less you wanna do it all yerself, Mick." The shorter man was annoyed with the other's criticism.

"How about both of you just set this box down gently and be a lot more careful with the next one?" Larry snapped, concerned that the mannequin inside had been injured. _Please, please, don't let it be Amelia,_ he thought to himself. _On second thought, just don't let it be damaged; she'll kill me for not looking after them properly. _

Just then, Dr. MacPhee came out of his office. "Mr. Daley, why are you still here? Your shift ended hours ago. And why are you mother-henning these men? I'm sure they know how to do the job they get paid for, so let them do it, all right?"

"They nearly dropped one of the boxes," Larry retorted defensively. "If they break one of these…"

MacPhee sighed. "Well, I can see there'll be no getting rid of you. Why don't you open the crates to make sure each of the mannequins remains in good condition, while these men bring in the rest? If you want you may even begin setting up the display. You should know the layout of it by now." The two movers shot Dr. MacPhee a grateful glance, glad to be able to work without the night guard hovering over them. "I'm not paying you overtime for this," the museum director added as Larry moved over to open the first crate. When he got no response, he sighed and motioned for the other two to get back to work.

Larry pried the lid off of the first crate. Inside it there was a waxwork of Susan B. Anthony. After making sure she was intact, he carefully lifted her out and set her on her feet so he could brush off the bits of packing material that clung to her dress. Once he had finished that, he moved her over to her assigned spot in the display. He turned to see that Jerry and Mick had brought another box inside while he had been occupied, and so he repeated the process with another mannequin, this one being a facsimile of Queen Elizabeth I. "So that's what Amelia meant about London wanting it…" Larry muttered to himself.

About two long hours later, the men had finally retrieved the last of the boxes and Larry had finished unpacking the women inside them. Each one had been carefully examined for any injuries that might have occurred during their transportation, and thankfully none had been found. Then each woman had been set up in her assigned spot in the display. Now Larry found himself surrounded by such famous figures as Victoria Woodhull, Queen Elizabeth I, Bessie Smith, Joan of Arc, Rosa Park, Susan B. Anthony, Hillary Clinton, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Lucille Ball, Marie Antoinette, Mother Teresa, Oprah, and oddly enough, Cleopatra. THAT was going to be an interesting surprise for Ahkmunrah. Idly, Larry wondered if the two had ever met. He somehow doubted it, but still…it would be funny if they had.

Then, of course, there was Amelia. She had apparently met the dawn with a smile, for one was fixed upon her face. Larry couldn't help but grin in return. "I missed you. It's so god to have you back," he whispered, even though he knew she couldn't hear him. He noticed a small bulge in her jacket pocket and, chuckling, retrieved his cell phone. "I guess I'd better take that before MacPhee notices." Suddenly, the night guard swayed and had o put a hand on the wall to steady himself. He hadn't realized how tired he was. "I'll see you tonight, beautiful," he promised, looking at Amelia one last time. Then he made his way homeward for a well-deserved shower and sleep.

**A/N: What did you think? Let me know!**


	10. The Awakeing And the Resulting Chaos

**A/N: Okay, here's Chapter Ten. Here is also where I need to catch up again, because this is the last chapter I actually have finished. I still need to write Eleven and onward. Also, we've now started up with marching band competitions at school, so there go my weekends. Updates will probably be few and far between but I'll do my best. I just wanted to tell you all this so you don't think I've given up on the story, because I haven't. Anyway, at least you get a good long chapter before I have to take a break, right? This one's pretty much a monster, even longer than Chapter Seven, and that one was pretty huge. I know, it's not as long as some people make them, but hey, I'm still kind of learning this as I go, so you'll forgive me, right? Okay, enough from me. Here it is!**

**Chapter 10: The Awakening (And the Resulting Chaos)**

When Larry arrived at the museum just before sunset that night, he found his employer waiting for him.

"Excellent job getting all of this set up, Mr. Daley. Only regret that they aren't yet animated. That would be the best way to test it, see if the people like it."

"Uh, sir, about that…" Larry began, his mind racing to think up an explanation. "They…already have been animated! Yeah, the Smithsonian…heard about our night hours and…figured the exhibit would be worth more to us already redone to come alive," he improvised quickly.

"Oh, really? Wonderful!" replied Dr. MacPhee, swallowing the hastily concocted story hook, line, and sinker. Larry let out a sigh of relief. "I believe I shall remain here then, to meet some of these wonderful women."

"Sir, are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, wouldn't you rather be at the museum door to tell all the visitors about he new exhibit?" Larry was desperately trying to get the director away from the area so he could explain everything to the poor women, as they were likely to be a bit confused and disoriented when they first woke up. It wouldn't do for Dr. MacPhee to see that; he might become suspicious. "After all, you certainly deserve to be recognized for this stroke of absolute genius," he continued, hoping his appeal to the other man's ego would pay off.

"Ah, you make an excellent point, Mr. Daley. Thank you very much. In that case, I will talk to them, and you, later, at the conclusion of the night hours," the museum director said, hurrying off to wait for the doors to open and admit his not-so-adoring public.

A few minutes later the sun had completed its descent and had passed the horizon. Larry, stationed in front of the new arrivals, watched intently as they came to life before his very eyes. It was a phenomenon that he had witnessed many times, but it never ceased to amaze him, how colors suddenly seemed brighter, skin lost the sallow, waxy appearance, eyes and faces lit with emotion, and the statues began to move. He didn't have time to notice much else, though, before he was nearly knocked off his feet.

"Oof. Thanks. Hi, Amelia, good to see you, too," he told the woman clinging to him. That's when he noticed that it wasn't Amelia. It couldn't be, because she was standing a few feet away, her arms crossed over her chest and an amused look on her face. "What the…who are you?" he muttered, trying to disengage the woman's arms. This only made her cling more tightly, however, and she began speaking rapidly in a language that appeared, for all intents and purposes, to be gibberish. At least, he couldn't make head or tails of it, though she seemed to be saying a lot about some people named Mark and Anthony or something like that. "Um…a little help here?" he asked Amelia pleadingly.

She shook her head. "That would be cruel. You're obviously a great source of comfort to the poor thing. Plus, this is entirely too funny to miss." At his stern expression, she sighed. "Fine. I'll go find Ahkmunrah. I'll be back in a minute." As she hurried through the doorway, however, she ran right into the Pharaoh himself. He quickly grabbed her arms to keep her from falling. "Thanks. Sorry."

"And just where are YOU going in such a hurry?" the young king asked her with a chuckle.

"To find you, oddly enough. Cleopatra won't let go of Larry."

Ahkmunrah looked confused. "What? Cleopatra? Why not? And why is she…oh. She's one of the new exhibits."

"Yeah. I think she believes that he's Mark Antony or something, because that's about all I can understand of what she's saying, but seeing as neither Larry nor I understand Egyptian, I'm not exactly positive. I was hoping you might be able to help us."

Ahkmunrah laughed again when he saw Larry's predicament and the pleading look in his eyes. "I'll see what I can do." He began talking to Cleopatra in his native tongue, and she looked at him in bewilderment for a few moments, and then replied in the same language. After a few minutes, she released Larry and the two Egyptians moved over to a corner of the room, the young king leading the way, and both of them speaking in hushed voices.

Well, that was awkward," Larry commented, looking at Amelia. He held out his arms to her. "How about a real hug that's actually from you now?" She laughed and went over to him, but before they could embrace, a commanding voice rang out.

"Wherefore art thou so immodestly clothed?" The voice belonged, of course, to Queen Elizabeth I, and she was looking at Amelia as she spoke, obviously addressing her. She turned to Larry to continue. "Art thou her husband, to allow her to go about clothed as a man? Thou shouldst keep a firmer hand on her. It simply isn't proper." Amelia flushed with temper, and the monarch peered more closely at Larry. "Thou art also attired oddly. From which tailor didst thou purchase thy unseemly garments?"

"Now see here, lady, I'll dress how I want and when I want, and no one's gonna tell me otherwise," Amelia informed the Queen heatedly.

"Silence!" Elizabeth shouted. "Thou darest much, to speak so to thy sovereign. We should have thee executed for taking such liberties. They method of speech is odd, though, and we suppose thou art merely a poor, ignorant peasant who knowest not how to properly address thy monarch. We shall overlook thy lack of respect and dreadful behavior this once. See that it never happens again. Thou, sir," she said, turning to Larry, "hast no excuse. If thou canst not manage to beat some manners into such a disagreeable wench, thou must be a poor husband, indeed. Thou art not suitable to tame such a saucy woman."

Amelia, white with rage, stalked toward the door. "I'm sorry to leave you alone to explain things to them," she threw back over her shoulder on the way out, "but if I stay here much longer, I'm gonna end up strangling her, and that would be bad. I'd rather NOT find out if we can die, thank you all the same."

Larry smiled understandingly. "It's okay, I get it. I'll manage. I'll just take care of this and meet you in the lobby, okay?"

She nodded her agreement. "See you soon." With that, she hurriedly left the room.

Larry turned back to the angry ruler. "Now, I need you to just listen to me for one minute. In fact, I need all of you to listen," he said, talking to all of the confused women who had been nervously watching the exchange between the Queen and the aviatrix. "I know you're all probably wondering what the heck's going on right now, but I'm going to explain everything."

"Better hurry, Larry, the museum opens in ten minutes," Ahkmunrah chimed in from his corner.

"Thanks, Ahk." Just then, there was a loud crash from the direction of the lobby. "Oh no…better yet, can you take over here? I mean, it's your tablet; surely you can manage to explain things? I think I need to go sort that out, whatever it was; it sounded like trouble."

"Of course, Larry. Go see to your duties. I'll take care of these ladies."

Larry rushed out of the room to find Amelia scolding the Neanderthals, who had apparently thrown a metal trash can at her. The prehistoric men were looking fairly ashamed of themselves, and when she had finished lecturing them, they slunk back to their display like whipped puppies.

"How on Earth did you do that?" Larry asked, incredulous. "First Jed, now the Neanderthals…before long you'll have the entire museum either cowering in fear or eager to leap to do your bidding."

Amelia blushed. "I probably shouldn't have been so harsh with them, but…well, I suppose I was still angry, and they kind of scared me with that stunt. Besides, it made me feel better…"

"No, you did fine. They'd have just gone on causing trouble and making more of a mess for me to clean up. They're always into something they shouldn't be. They didn't manage to actually hit you with that did they?"

"No, of course not. They aim about as well as they speak English," Amelia retorted. "How did her high-and-mightiness take it when you told her that she isn't all powerful anymore?"

I'm not sure. Ahk's taking care of that part. I had to come to investigate that crash." Larry went over to right the trash can and return it to its former location. "Luckily, they just emptied these." Then he saw the mark the container had left on the floor. With a groan, he surveyed the damage. "Oh, man, MacPhee's not going to be happy about this at all…"

"I'm not going to be happy about what?" The museum director asked, making Larry jump. He, too, had heard the crash and come to investigate. When he saw what had been done to the floor, he turned an apoplectic shade of fuchsia. "Really, now, Mr. Daley, this is too much. I cannot tolerate—"

"It wasn't his fault, sir!" Amelia cried, stopping him mid-tirade. The museum director stopped with his mouth open and blinked in surprise. No one had ever dared to interrupt one of his rants before. _No one._The look on his face was somewhat comical, and it became even more so as Amelia continued to talk. "The Neanderthals chucked that trash bin at me, and you can't honestly say THEY knew any better. I mean, they're not exactly the most intelligent beings, are they?" It was at this point that Larry began to worry for Amelia's safety and what Dr. MacPhee would do to her for speaking to him like that. He looked positively LIVID with rage. Then again, Amelia had never been one to worry about stepping on the toes of people such as Dr. MacPhee, which is to say, those that she considered to have too big an ego for their own good. "Larry had nothing to do with it," the pilot went on, seemingly oblivious to the man's mounting temper. "He was in the other room at the time, helping the new arrivals get acclimated. What on Earth…are you all right, sir?" she asked, concerned, for the director was by now positively sputtering in his outrage. "Is he having some kind of fit?" she asked Larry.

"Who are you?" MacPhee finally managed, controlling himself with a visible effort. He had NEVER been spoken to like that before, and he wasn't sure he liked it.

"Amelia Earhart, at your service," the aviatrix responded briskly, grabbing his hand and pumping it up and down with great enthusiasm. "You might've heard of me, first woman to fly the Atlantic, receive the Flying Cross, et cetera. I know who YOU are, of course. You're Dr. MacPhee, the director of this museum. Nice place you run here, by the way. Say, it looks like you've got some visitors coming in. Why don't you toddle off to greet them? I'm sure they'd love to say hello, and I bet they can't wait to hear all about your brilliant plans for this new exhibit. Go on now, off you go! It was a pleasure meeting you! Goodbye!" With that, she turned the poor man around and gave him a gentle push in the direction of the guests entering the museum. As he wandered off with a dazed look on his face, Amelia couldn't help but giggle. "Aww, he's so adorably funny," she commented to Larry, who by now was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down his face. "He kind of reminds me of a cuddly teddy bear or something. I'm not quite sure why."

"Oh, Amelia…that was great," Larry choked out in between renewed fits of laughter. "He's never had anyone stand up to him or talk to him like that before, and NO ONE would EVER dare to interrupt him, so when you did both…it really threw him for a loop. About time, too," he added with satisfaction. Just remembering the look on his employer's face as Amelia was speaking made the night guard erupt with further gales of laughter, and he finally had to sit down before he fell over.

Amelia just shook her head. "I'll leave you to it, then." Seeing Teddy and Texas waiting by the front desk for a tour group, she headed over to talk to the former president. "Teddy, do you know where I can find the supply closet?"

"Through that door, take the stairs to the left, downward, go through the door at the bottom of the stairs, third door on the right," he answered. "Why?"

"I want to put up some kind of barrier around that chunk of floor the Neanderthals tore up, and I was going to see if they had caution tape or something like that down there. I don't suppose we'd want guests walking through there, and poor Dr. MacPhee's in no state to do anything about it at the moment, nor, apparently, is Larry. Then someone should be called in to fix it."

"I'll take care of it, my dear. It would appear that you have fans to greet," the president told her, directing her attention to the door with a smile.

Amelia looked around, startled, to find a man and a woman with three children in tow, two of them girls, being directed toward her by Dr. MacPhee at the entrance to the museum. "And so it begins," she said, sighing. "This should be interesting…"

"Courage, my dear girl, courage! After all, courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace. The soul that knows it not, knows no release from the little things."

Amelia grinned. "Very funny, sir." Then she squared her shoulders and walked over to meet the family. "Hello. Welcome to the Museum of Natural History. Is there anything I can do for you?" Amelia winced internally at her rather stiff, formal greeting. It sounded so…dry and stuffy. She wished she knew what to say to them to reassure them, because judging by the confused looks on their faces, it was the group's first experience with the night hours at the museum.

"Oh, are you a tour guide? I'm so sorry. That man over there told us you were one of the new exhibits. Could you please direct us to the new exhibit with all of the famous women? Jessica here has been dying to meet some of the people she's been learning about in school," the mother said, seeming a bit flustered. The older of the two girls, who looked to be about ten, looked up and smile shyly at Amelia when her mother said her name. The other girl, maybe seven years old, was hiding behind her father's leg, and the boy was looking around like he was bored out of his mind with the whole museum. He appeared to be about fifteen.

Amelia gave them all a welcoming smile. "Most of the new exhibits are over there, through that door, but you were right the first time. I AM one of them. My name is Amelia Earhart."

The older girl, Jessica, gasped in shock and delight. "Oh m gosh, you're like, my favorite!" she squealed, before throwing herself at Amelia and hugging her. Her brother rolled his eyes at her condescendingly, but he eyed Amelia with renewed interest.

"Jessica! How many times must I tell you, you don't touch?" The harassed mother snapped. After peeling her daughter off, she apologized again, and then asked "If you're one of the exhibits, why are you walking around talking to us? I thought they were stationary, interactive displays that just spoke about themselves. Are you an actress?"

"No, I'm not an actress, and I'm talking to you because during the night hours, the displays actually move around and mingle freely with the guests. It's a new, experimental kind of museum, I suppose. And, honestly, I don't mind your daughter hugging me, ma'am. It's quite all right, she's just enthusiastic. That's not necessarily a bad thing. If I wasn't been so enthusiastic about flying, I never would have been able to do half of the things I did," Amelia answered.

"See, mommy? She said it was okay," the little girl told her mother indignantly. She turned to Amelia. "Did you really fly across a whole ocean by yourself?"

"Yes, I did, sweetheart. All the way from Canada to Ireland," Amelia replied. The child's eyes widened.

Wow…" she breathed, awed. "That's so cool!"

"So…if you're not an actress, what are you?" the girl's brother asked bluntly. "I mean, you sure look like an actress to me. You're too real for a robot, and obviously solid, so you're not a hologram or anything."

Amelia wasn't quite sure how to answer that question. Thankfully, Larry had noticed her plight and came to the rescue. "Extremely advanced technology. Animatronics. Artificial Intelligence. That sort of thing," he said, coming up behind Amelia and making her jump. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"And what are you supposed to be, Abraham Lincoln?" the boy asked sarcastically.

"So, as a matter of fact, kid, I'm not. I'm the night guard here," Larry informed him tersely, irritated. The boy flushed a dull red when Larry called him "kid," and muttered something under his breath, upon which his mother's hand immediately descended upon his ear.

"One more word from you, mister, and you'll go out to wait in the car. Understand?" When he didn't respond, she gripped tighter, eliciting a yelp of pain. "Dylan, do you understand me? I want an answer!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever…"

Amelia looked at him with distaste. "You'd do better to show a little more respect, young man. She's your mother. If it weren't for her, you wouldn't even exist. Think about that before you mouth off next time."

The Dylan's mother looked at her gratefully, but the teenager himself just rolled his eyes. "You're probably, like, programmed to say stuff like that or something. Soooo not cool…" He eyed her thoughtfully. "Though they didn't do such a bad job on you. You almost look real, and you are one hot robot chick." His poor parents just gaped at him, too shell-shocked to respond.

Amelia stared. "Excuse me? Did you REALLY just say what I think you just said?"

"Leave her alone, buddy," Larry told the boy, stepping in front of Amelia a little bit. She didn't much care for that, either, though.

"I'm a big girl, okay, Ace?" she told him, laying one hand on his chest to restrain him and push him back behind her. "I can handle this by myself." She flashed him a reassuring smile before rounding on Dylan. "That comment is seriously wrong on several levels. First: I think I'm a bit old for you. Second: I'm taken, sorry. Third: I'm a museum exhibit. Fourth: you just embarrassed yourself and your family, and fifth: I am WAY out of your league." She grinned at the teenager's dumbfounded expression, and his sisters giggled. His parents, however, were still looking mortified.

"Sue, I'm going to take Dylan out to the car. Can you handle Jessica and Alyson?" The father asked.

"Of course, David, thank you." Once the pair had left, Sue turned to Amelia and Larry. "I really must apologize for my son's dreadful behavior," she began. "I just don't know what's gotten into him lately! Thank you so much for setting him straight. I just couldn't believe he actually said that to you. I think you may have made an impression, though. Once again, I'm so sorry. You can dress them up, but you can't take them out…"

"Dywan'th in twouble," intoned the younger girl, Alyson, solemnly. "He made mommy and daddy angwy and now he'th gonna get gwounded."

Amelia smiled at her and crouched down so they could talk face to face. "I bet you never get into any kind of trouble, do you, sweetie?" When the child shook her head, her mother just laughed.

"Don't you believe it for a second. She's a perfect little angel right now, but wait until it's bedtime. THEN it gets ugly."

Jessica, who had wandered away a bit, now ran back to the small group. "Mama, mama! Guess who's over there? Guess! You'll never figure it out! It's QUEEN ELIZABETH! We just GOTTA go talk to her! Please? Come one mommy!"

"Sorry, looks like I have to go. I was wonderful meeting you both!" Sue called as she was dragged away by her over-enthusiastic daughter.

Larry chuckled. "Well, that was fun. What an…interesting family. I really didn't like that boy though…"

"Oh, you're just jealous," Amelia told him teasingly. More seriously, she added "May I finally have my 'welcome back' hug and kiss? At this rate I'm not sure we'll EVER get around to it without interruptions."

"I'd be happy to oblige," he responded, wrapping his arms around her. "Mm—hm, I definitely missed this." All too soon, though, he had to pull away. Another young girl had come running over to talk to Amelia and she was now tugging on her jacket to get her attention. With a sigh, Larry released his hold and stood by to listen as Amelia charmed yet another museum visitor.

Once the girl had left to find her mother, Amelia looked around to see that a small crowd had formed around her. "What on Earth…what's going on? What are all of these people here for? Who are they?"

"They're your fans, Amelia," Larry replied with a grin.

"This is SWEET!" one child cried. "She really DOES talk!"

Amelia was taken aback at the interest everyone was showing in her, and a little nervous about having to talk to so many people, but Larry squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I'm here. Don't worry about it. They'll love you, I promise. Just be yourself and answer their questions." She smiled at him in thanks and then turned to face the crowd. This was going to be a long night…

**A/N: Whew, glad THAT'S over...it took me forever to type it! There are probably some typos, too, because I was hurrying to get this up for you guys. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, let me know what you thought, etc., same as always. Lots of love to all of my readers! Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. Two things. First, yes, for those of you that didn't know, aviatrix is indeed a word, used to describe Amelia Earhart on several of the websites I've seen during my research for this story. It's the feminine form of aviator, or male pilot. Secondly, when Teddy is talking to Amelia, and he says something about courage, and she responds and says "Very funny, sir," the reason for her response is that what he says is actually a famous quote by Amelia Earhart herself. I just thought it would be cool to include that here, I don't know. Call me a nerd or something. I know it's true. Anyway, I just figured I'd explain that in case someone didn't know. Okay, now I'm done. Hope you enjoyed it!**

**Sorry, one more thing. The chapter titles for Chapters Eight and Ten have been taken from my iPod song list becasue my muse deserted me when it came time to think up chapter titles. If anyone can guess the artist, you get bonus points. I'm not sure what the bonus points are for yet, but you can have them. Maybe I'll let you thinku p a reward or something. lol. The titles of the songs are "To Where You Are" and "The Awakening." Good luck!**


	11. Where the Heart Is

**A/N: Hi, I'm SOOOO sorry it's taken so long for me to get this chapter up. My free time this past weekend was absolutely zero, and I'm staying up WAY later than I should tonight to get this done. I hope you all like it, please review and let me know what's up, if it's good, if you have questions, or even suggestions for later in the plot. Also, once the current problem is resolved, I'm not sure whether I want to continue this story or just make a sequel. I'll want your opinion on that eventually. Oh, by the way, To Where You Are is by Josh Groban, but The Awakening is actually by Joseph Martin, or at least the version I was thinking of. It's a really good song. Okay, I'll shut up now and just post this. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 11: Where the Heart Is**

Larry thought the night hours would never end. Each second seemed to tick by more slowly than the last. Eventually, though, the last visitor had exited and gone home, and the exhibits had the run of the museum. Dr. MacPhee was still in his office for the time being, but soon he, too, would leave.

Amelia let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Wow. That was…just…wow. So many people…and they all wanted to talk to me!"

"Yeah, you're a pretty popular person," Larry told her, amused at her reaction to the crowds. "I mean, you did some amazing things for women, so you're someone that girls and young women and look up to. Also, the mystery behind your disappearance attracted a lot of attention. I mean, they DID mount what as at the time the biggest ocean search ever conducted to try to find you, and they never did. People love a good mystery. Now, these people are being given the opportunity to have a conversation with THE Amelia Earhart and to shake her hand. For most of them, it won't matter that you're just an exhibit. It's still an amazing experience for them."

"…You're nuts," came the reply, after a few seconds of stunned silence. Larry just smiled, knowing that he was right, but also knowing that she would never admit it, or even believe it.

"If you say so," he told her agreeably. "Come on; let's go see how the others survived the night. I'm guessing there were no major incidents, seeing as no one came looking for me, but I think I'd better check it out, anyway, just in case. D'you want to come? Or are you still too shell-shocked to move?"

Amelia shook her head to clear it. "I'll come," she responded, "as long as SHE behaves."

When they entered the room, they immediately spotted Ahkmunrah, who was engaged in a rather animated conversation with Cleopatra. When he saw them, however, he broke off the conversation hurriedly and came to meet them. "How did everything go?" Larry asked, apprehensive.

"Very well, actually. Surprisingly so, in fact," the young Pharaoh replied, smiling. "There were w few communication issues, but I was able to act as translator, so that was smoothed over very quickly. They took my explanation fairly well, too. Elizabeth was a bit put out a first, but I thin she's gotten over it."

Amelia grimaced with distaste. "I bet she was…"

Larry chuckled at her response. "Hey, Ahk, can you translate again? I need to make a bit of a public service announcement." When the king nodded, Larry began his little speech, with each phrase being repeated several times in other languages for the benefit of hose who didn't understand English. "Okay, ladies, here are the rules. You have the run of the museum every night after the guests leave, but only if you can follow them. If you show me that you can't, I'm going to have to lock you up. I'm sorry, but that's the way it goes. We run on a three strike system.

"Rule number 1: No fighting with the other exhibits. Physical fighting, especially, but we all try to be friends here, so verbal violence is also a no-no.

"Rule number 2: Don't break anything. If you do, you fix it. There is no other option.

"Rule Number 3: If you make a mess, clean it up. I refuse to take responsibility for your actions. It will have to be cleaned up by sunrise.

"Rule Number 4: Be back in your position and in the proper exhibit by sunrise. I will get in trouble if you're not, and then I'll get fired, and then there will be no one to take care of you and keep this secret.

"Rule Number 5: Don't mess with any of the other exhibits and change them around so they freeze that way when the sun rises. This is for the same reason as the last rule.

"Rule Number 6: No going outside, at all, EVER, under ANY circumstances. This is particularly essential, because if you're caught outside at sunrise, that's it. You're dead, dust, and NOTHING we can do will bring you back. Yes, we DO know this from experience, so don't test it. There will be a few people that are exceptions to this rule, those that have proven to me that I can trust them to act responsibly and those that I have given permission to, but other than that, no one goes outside. I think that's about it. Any questions?"

No hands went up, and no one spoke, so Larry nodded. "All right, then, everyone, good luck, have fun, go talk to some of the other exhibits, and get to know them. Tomorrow we have a soccer game scheduled, but tonight's just to help all of you get acclimated, so enjoy yourselves, and have a good night!"

After a moment or two, the women all looked around and began filing out of the room. Finally, only Amelia, Larry, Cleopatra, and Ahkmunrah were left. "I'll talk to you to later, I've promised to take Cleopatra on a tour of the museum, and then I'm going to start teaching some of the others English," the young Pharaoh said, finding a tactful way to give The night guard and the pilot the alone time they wanted. The two Egyptians left the room.

Amelia raised her hand. "I have a question, teacher."

"Yes, Miss Earhart?" Larry questioned with mock severity and strictness.

"Do I finally get you to myself?" she asked cheekily.

"Hmm, I don't know. I have a pretty full schedule for tonight and I should be on call in case anything comes up…" he began, and then he laughed at her crestfallen face. "Oh, Amelia, I'm only teasing you. Teddy can handle any problems that may come up tonight. I'm all yours."

She pursed her lips. "That wasn't very nice, mister. I think I deserve an apology."

Larry, knowing what she had in mind, grinned. "Well, all right, then, I'm sorry."

"Don't tell me that's the best you can do, Ace,"

"Oh, you want something else, too? Well, I suppose I can manage that." His eyes twinkled mischievously at the expectant look on her face. "I'm VERY sorry."

She was NOT amused. "Just kiss me already, ya boob."

"Oh, that's what you wanted? I had n—" He was abruptly cut off by her lips on his. Dazed, he simply slipped his arms around her waist and reveled in the feeling of holding the woman he loved.

After a few seconds, though, Larry was quite rudely yanked out of the pleasant haze he'd fallen into by the sound of someone wolf-whistling obnoxiously. He broke away from Amelia and looked around, irritated, prepared to tell off whoever it was, only to see that there was no one there. Puzzled, he turned to Amelia, who appeared just as confused as he felt.

"Down here, Gigantor! And…Gigantora!" a tiny voice shouted from their feet. The two glanced downward to see Jedediah Smith, grinning from ear to ear. His Roman counterpart stood at his side with a defeated look on his face. Apparently the miniature general had been attempting to stifle his companion's rude outburst.

"I apologize, my liege," he said to Larry, embarrassed. "I did not wish to disturb or humiliate you so, but apparently my friend has no such scruples. You see, he has yet to learn proper manners, and se he feels that he is at liberty to interrupt such an obviously private moment. I will endeavor to halt his impulses more quickly next time." The leader bowed to the night guard while Jedediah looked on disgustedly.

"Why yeh lily-livered, yellow-bellied, jelly-spined, skirt-wearin' turncoat of a woman!" the cowboy exclaimed, exasperated with his fellow leader. "I was jes' havin' a bit of fun, is all! I wasn't hurtin' 'em none. Can't ya take a joke?"

"Okay, Jed? Remember what I told you last time I was here?" Amelia interrupted the Westerner's tirade, questioning him with considerable self-control. Without waiting for an answer, she picked him up by the back of his shirt and carried him off, out of the room. The two men remained behind, but they could hear the small cowboy protesting as she took him away until the cried finally faded with distance.

"Hey, lady, put me down! I hate bein' manhandled! Where do you think yer takin' me? You have no right! I'll call up my men, they'll set yeh straight! What are you doin'? Where…no! No! Yeh can't! Yeh wouldn't dare! Put me down this instant, d'ya hear me? I said put…"

A few minutes later, the aviatrix came back, brushing off her hands and wearing a serene smile. "He can't say I didn't warn him, after all," she remarked rather casually. "Now maybe he'll learn I mean what I say."

"He most certainly deserved it, my lady, and I commend you for it," Octavius told her. "You would make a wise ruler, indeed. However, I suspect your interests lie elsewhere. You don't seem to be the type of woman who is content to stay in one place for very long, or settle down to anything for longer than it takes you to master it. You are truly as ever-changing as the skies in which you so often fly. Perhaps that is why you love them so. They reflect who you truly are."

Larry smile fondly at Amelia. "That's why I'm lucky she stuck with me for so long."

"Luck has nothing to do with it, love," Amelia replied, amused. "You're simply the exception to the rule. Besides, no matter how far I wander, I always love coming home the best. But home…you know that old saying; 'home will be where the heart is?' Well, my heart's with you, Ace. You're taken it completely and irrevocably. So never fear, Ace. No matter what, I'll always come home to you."

"I'll hold you to that," he promised, and as he took her in his arms once more, Octavius slipped unobtrusively out of the room, not wanting to disturb this moment. They deserved some time on their own…and some peace at last.

**A/N: I hope you all liked this chapter. Please review and let me know your thoughts! I'm not sure when I'll be able to get the next chapter up, either, but I think I have some free time this weekend to finish writing it, and MAYBE even type it up, so it'll hopefully be up very soon. I love you all, my loyal readers, and I hope you're all having a wonderful day! Bye for now!**


	12. Wonderful Morning

**A/N: Well, here is the long-awaited chapter 12. I'm sorry it took so long guys, but I haven't been very successful at juggling my schedule as of late. At least I finally have it up, right? So anyway, for those of you who are Nicky fans, I'm sorry I haven't had him in my story yet, and I am adding him in this chapter. He'll feature a bit more in a few other chapters, as well, I think, from now on. Maybe. I'm trying to intigrate him, anyway. I hope you all like this chapter. As always, read and review, let me know what you think of it, let me know if you spot errors, and enjoy!**

**Chapter 12: Wonderful Morning (Not!)**

The five weeks that the exhibit had been scheduled to be at the New York Natural History Museum had passed in a blur for Larry and Amelia. After the first night, it had been rather uneventful, and the new exhibits had settled in well, falling nearly seamlessly into the nightly routine. Larry had spent as much time as possible at Amelia's side, but his job kept him hopping seeing to the needs of the other exhibits, and somehow, it didn't seem like enough. Then, almost before either of them had realized it, it was their last night together. This had been just the previous night, and the sun had risen only an hour before, leaving Larry feeling rather bereft. He and Amelia had said their goodbyes, and then he had helped her into the packing crate in which she would be traveling to London. Now Larry sat on that crate in a melancholy sort of silence, remembering those last few moments together.

"Don't worry about me, Ace, I'll be fine," Amelia had insisted, though her over-bright eyes gave lie to her brave and falsely cheerful words, as had the single tear that made its way down her cheek, slipping through her normally impeccable emotional self-control. "You just make sure MacPhee buys the exhibit, all right?"

Larry had simply nodded in return, his throat tight, not trusting himself to speak for fear that he would lose what little remained of his composure. He didn't want to make this any harder than it already was. He simply pulled Amelia to him and held her close for as long as he dared. Finally, though, the looming sunrise forced them to part. Amelia stepped into her crate and prepared to lie down. When Larry moved to kiss her, though, she stopped him with a raised hand and a shake of her head.

"It'll give us both something to look forward to," she explained when Larry began to protest in confusion. "I'll see you soon, Ace." She settled down into the packing material, and, just as the sun was rising, Larry put the lid on the crate. Then, knowing she was a statue once more, he sat on her crate and put his head in his hands, finally putting aside his emotional façade and let his worry and grief show through.

An hour later he was still there, and he was beginning to find that the passing of time and having nothing to do only exacerbated his feelings, made then harder to bear. The exhibits were going to be picked up today and shipped by truck to the airport, where they would be loaded on a plane and flown to London arriving there that night, around the time Amelia would be waking up. Once more she had his cell phone in her pocket, along with a promise to call him once they were unloaded and she was alone to do so. Though Larry knew air travel was much safer today and crashes were extremely unlikely, he still couldn't help but worry that this trans-ocean voyage would end up like her last.

Then, as if Larry didn't have enough to deal with at the moment, Christmas break was starting for the boarding school that Nicky had opted to go to this year. It wasn't as though he minded seeing his son; he was ecstatic to have him home. Still, that was one more thing for him to keep in mind and take care of. He couldn't leave the young boy home alone, and he had a feeling that Nicky wouldn't take kindly to being kept away from the museum at night, but that meant that Larry would have to keep an eye on him to make sure he didn't get into trouble or get hurt.

Checking his watch, Larry gave a start. "Oh, crap…Nicky's gonna be worried…" He had lost track of time and remained at the museum far longer than he had intended. Consequently, he was going to be late to pick up his son at the Subway station. Deciding to change out of his uniform when he returned, Larry dashed out to his car. However, when he turned the key in the ignition, the car refused to start. "You have GOT to be kidding me," he muttered, nearly ready to weep with frustration. "Come on, baby, you can do it…" he turned the key several more times, with the same results. "Oh, I can just TELL this is going to be my lucky day," he commented sarcastically as he got out of the vehicle and pulled up the hood, hoping to find and fix the problem.

An indecipherable jumble of plugs, wires, and other sorts of mechanical bits and bobs greeted him. He searched in vain for the source of the trouble for several minutes, then he gave up. "This is just ridiculous. I have no idea what I'm doing."

Larry reached into his car, took a piece or paper from hi glove box, and proceeded back into the museum to call Nicky and tell him that he would be late and not to worry. He dialed, and his son answered on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Nick, oh, thank goodness. Listen, my car just died, so I'm going to be a little late picking you up, pal. I'm so sorry, I have no idea what happened to it, it just wouldn't start."

Nicky just sighed. "Did you leave the lights on again, Dad? Because you know that totally kills the battery. That's probably why it wouldn't start."

"Umm…I'm not sure…I might have…" Larry responded, trying frantically to remember. "I don't know, but I'm gonna call someone to come take a look at it, and Ill walk over to the station for now, so just hang tight for a bit, buddy, and I'll be over to get you soon, all right?"

"Sure, Dad," the boy replied, his tone colored with resignation and amusement. "I'll be here."

"I'll see you soon. Love you, Nicky!"

"Love you, too Dad."

Larry hung up the phone and looked at the paper he had brought with him. On it was the phone number for his usual mechanic. It was a small business, but they were very reliable and had excellent service. He dialed, and a man answered the phone on the second ring. "Hello, Martin's Mechanical Magicians, how may we help you?"

"Hey, Marty, it's Larry."

"Oh, no, not YOU again," Martin groaned, feigning irritation. "Okay, Larry my man, what'd ya break this time? Another belt? Your exhaust pipe again? Cracked windshield? Or didja rear-end another little old lady?"

"Ha ha, real funny. The pipe was NOT my fault. It just fell off. And I just didn't see the stupid tree branch until after it hit the windshield. Hardly my fault. It jumped out at me!"

"And the old lady?"

"That…okay, that was my fault," Larry admitted grudgingly. "But it was an accident! She stopped in front of me—"

"At a stoplight, Larry," Martin reminded him with a laugh. "So whatcha need?"

"I'm honestly not sure. My car won't start. I don't know what's wrong with it. My son said he thinks it's probably the battery, though. Whatever it is, I have to go pick him up at the subway station, so I can't realy stick around to find out."

"Okay, Larry, where's your car? I'll come check it out. You're lucky I don't have any appointments lined up for a couple of hours."

"Marty, you never have any appointments," Larry joked."

"Yeah, but you're more than enough to keep me in business, Larry," the mechanic shot back. "You're in here every other week."

"All right, you're a real comedian. I'm parked at the Natural History Museum. You know which one's mine. Thanks, Marty, I really appreciate you coming down here. I have to go get Nicky, so I'll either see you when we get back or the next time something goes wrong."

"So I'll see you in a few days tops?" Marty quipped. "All right, no problem—o, Larry. See ya soon!" There was a click, telling Larry that Marty had hung up the phone.

Larry sighed. Now he had to go find his son. Thankfully the subway station wasn't too far from the museum. If he ran, he wouldn't be extremely late.

**A/N: So, was it worth the wait? I hope so. Thank you to all of you who stuck with me, I dedicate this chapter to you!**


	13. Secrets Revealed

**A/N:**Wow, I am SOOOO sorry. I just realized how long it's been since I updated last. My life has been crazy busy, with the fall play, physical therapy, the band season, and about a million other things all demanding my time. I did promise that I wouldn't give up on this story, though, and I haven't. In fact, it's almost done. I've written a few more chapters in my notebook, which is the rough draft form, and now I just have to type them up and edit. Hopefully I can work on it a lot more over the next few days, though Christmas, surprisingly enough, isn't much less busy for me than the rest of the year. Oh well. There's more of a chance I can sneak some time with my laptop over Christmas break and get a chapter or two typed up. I will have to warn you, however, that there is an increased likelihood of typos, because all previous chapters have been typed on our desktop, while the remaining ones will probably be done on my laptop. The lap top's keyboard is crap, but it's what I have to work with at the moment, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes. Anyway, on to Chapter 13, which, incidentally, I hadn't picked a chapter name for yet, either. Oops.... Again, I'm sorry you had to wait so long to get it. I'll try to be better in the future!

Chapter 13: Secrets Revealed

Larry was only about 15 minutes late by the time he reached the station. When he got there and saw Nicky sitting on a bench, he sighed in relief. "Hey, kiddo. Sorry I'm late."

"It's okay, dad. I'm fine. I wasn't waiting THAT long," the boy reassured him. "How are things at work? Is everyone okay? Did anything interesting happen? Did Rexy miss me? I heard about the traveling exhibit on the news. How did that go? Were they nice?"

"Whoa, slow down there and let me answer, alright, pal? Yes, everyone's fine, I'm sure Rexy will be happy to see you, and yes, the new exhibits worked out just fine. Well, mostly, anyway. They needed a little time to adjust, but after that, they settled in fairly well. They just got packed up this morning. I'm sorry you missed them. I'm HOPING they'll be back soon, though, because they're going up for auction after the finish touring Europe, and Dr. MacPhee wants to buy them."

Nicky was extremely perceptive for his age, and as such, he couldn't help but notice his father's eyes darken slightly when he said that the exhibits had been packed up and were being moved that day. Larry hadn't told his son much about Amelia or what had happened between them that night at the Smithsonian, only that she had helped him to save their friends. All the same, the boy knew something was wrong, and he wanted to know what.

"Dad, what's wrong?" he queried, concerned for his father. When Larry just shook his head, Nicky frowned. "Please don't lie to me. I know something's up, and if you would just tell me what it is, maybe I can help. I thought you trusted me."

Larry hesitated for a moment, then sighed in resignation. "All right, I'll tell you in the car, okay?"

"Uh, Dad...I thought the car broke down," Nicky reminded his father, slightly confused.

Larry put his face in his hands and groaned. "It did, Nick, I'm sorry. It's just been a crazy day so far, and I'm sorry I don't have a better homecoming for you than making you walk home. I can't believe all this happened today of all days. I-"

"Dad!" Nicky cut his father off. "Relax. It's okay, really. The museum's close, anyway, and we can just walk there and wait for Marty to fix you're car so we can drive it home, and you can tell me what's up along the way, okay? Now breathe, Dad."

Larry gave a wry smile. "Sorry, Nick, and thanks. All right, then, let's go. What would I do without you, bud?"

"Oh, probably be even more crazy and disorganized than you are now," Nicky replied airily, waving his hand.

The chill of the early December morning greeted the two as they ascended the last set of stairs to the busy city sidewalk. As they began the trek to the museum, Nicky kept his mouth shut, firmy tamping down his curiosity, though all he really wanted to do was ask his father a million questions about what was bothering him. He knew that Larry would tell him when he was ready.

Finally Larry did speak up, but his words were not quite what Nicky had expected to hear.

"Nicky...how would you..." He paused, unsure of how to continue. "Would you mind...if I got remarried?"

Nicky stopped walking an just stared at his father like he'd suddenly sprouted horns. "Dad...you didn't...I don't...I mean, I didn't even know you were dating again. I mean..." He trailed off, ending with a simple question. "Who?"

Larry ran his hand through his hair and gave a nervous chuckle. "It's...kinda hard to explain, Nicky, and I'm not sure how we can-"

"Oh, Dad. It's one of the exhibits." This was not a question, but a statement of fact.

His father blushed and looked away. "Well...yes, sort of. I mean...yes and no."

Nicky looked confused. "What's that supposed to mean? Either she's..." he stopped. Something had just clicked. "Oh." THAT'S why he had been so sad about the new exhibits leaving.

Larry waited anxiously for a response as his son pondered the matter. "I know it's not exactly normal, and it's not...anything definite. I haven't thought about how...I mean..." He sighed. "I haven't even talked to her about it yet. I just wanted to know what you thought of the idea in case things do work out that way."

"You don't have to make excuses to me, Dad," the boy said, smiling. "I just have a couple of questions. First: does she make you happy?" Larry nodded, though the look on his face made an answer somewhat superfluous. "Then it's good. Dad, if she's good for you and makes you happy, then it makes me happy, too. It's just...Dad, are you sure you're not rushing into this? I mean, they were only here for five weeks. Is that long enough to fall in love? And you've got to remember that there's no guarantee they'll be back."

Larry shook his head. "It's been more than five weeks, Nicky. That is, I've known her longer than that, and we've seen each other a few times recently, too, before this whole thing with the tour started."

Puzzled, Nicky asked "But how is that possible, if she's an exhibit? She wouldn't have been-"

Wait a second, Nick," Larry interrupted. "I think I need to explain something." The boy waited patiently again as his father was silent for a few minutes, gathering his thoughts and tryin to decide where to begin. "Nick...you remember that night...oh, it must have been nearly a year ago by now...when Jed called our house to tell us about the trouble at the Smithsonian?" Nicky nodded, so Larry continued. "Well, I told you about what happened that night. Most of it, anyway."

Nicky stopped mid-nod. "Most of it? What did you leave out?"

Larry hesitated. "I left out a few details. Do you remember...I told you about some people that helped me to save our friends? Well, one of them-"

"Amelia Earhart."

The man blinked "Uh, yeah, actually. How did you-"

"I guessed," Nicky interrupted with a smile. "But that doesn't make sense. You said you'd seen her other times, too. How is that possible? She would have been a statue."

"It's something to do with the tablet," Larry answered. "I'm not entirely sure. You'll have to ask Ahk. All I know is that she comes to life every night, even without the tablet."

Nicky nodded pensively. "Okay. But...Dad, what if..." Here he hesitated, unwilling to say what was on his mind. It had to be considered, though, so he said it anyway. "What if another museum buys the exhibit? There's a chance MacPhee won't be willing to spend that much money to beat out some of the bigger, richer museums."

"At this point, I'm just praying that thatdoesn't happen," his father replied, chuckling nervously. 'You still haven't told me what you think, pal."

"I think I'd need to meet her before I could give you any real answer, but...I think it would be good for you to have a woman in your life again. You need someone to...I don't know...keep you steady and balance you out. You're off in your own world a lot, and having someone else might convince you to come back to the rest of us a little more often," Nicky told his father with a grin.

Larry looked at his son in surprise and gave him a smile that was almost sad. "Nicky, when did you get so smart? I think you went and grew up when I wasn't looking."

"I kind of ad to, Dad. Being away from home does that to you. Also... some of the other boys at school...well, let's just say they don't take too kindly to strangers, people they don't consider part of their little "elite" group, especially when those strangers are...well, strange. I'm just not like them, and it scares them. So, they didn't like me. It kinda makes you grow up a little faster, you know?"

"Nicky, you never mentioned that in your letters!" Larry exclaimed us, troubled. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because there was nothing you could do about it, Dad, and face it, you probably would have either rushed up there to pull me out of school or done something else, like writing to the boys' parents or something, and telling the boys to stop picking on me, and that would only have made it worse. Besides, it was nothing I couldn't deal with, and it was something I HAD to deal with on my own if I ever wanted to win their respect," Nicky replied calmly.

"I still wish you had told me about it,"Larry inisted, looking troubled. "You can always come to me about anything, okay, kiddo? You don't have to face life alone. That's something I'm still learning, too. We can learn it together."

Nicky smiled. "Okay, Dad. I guess we've both been keeping something from each other, huh?"

"Yeah. But it stops here."

"Agreed. Thanks, Dad."

Any time, son. I'm always here."

By this time the museum was in sight. A big yellow van was pulled up in front, and Martin was just loading up his toolbox. He saw the two approaching and waited for them.

"Hey, Marty," Larry greeted the other man. "Did you figure out what the problem was?"

"Battery, like I told you," the mechanic replied with a smirk. "You gotta stop leaving those lights on, man."

"Sorry. I forgot."

"Yeah, you always do. Don't apologize to me, Larry, I get paid for this. Speaking of which, your bill will be in the mail soon," Martin informed the night guard with an impish grin. He opened the door and climbed into the van, rolling down the window to finish the conversation.

"Alright. Hey, thanks for coming out here to fix it up. I really appreciate it."

"No problem. You're my best client. Most frequent, too. I guess I'll be seeing you pretty soon, right? Well, I'm off. Bye Larry! Bye Nicky, and you take care of your father, kay pal?"

"Will do, Marty. See ya!" Nicky said, grimacing as the mechanic ruffled his hair. He and his father waved until Marty's van turned the corner.

"All right, then, Nick. Sounds like the car's fixed up. What do you say we go home, get something to eat, take a nap so we won't fall asleep tonight, and then maybe go out and do something fun together before I have to be at work?" Larry suggested. "I'm expecting a phone call from London tonight-"

"This afternoon, Dad. They're five hours ahead over there," Nicky reminded him.

Larry smacked his forehead. "All these time differences have been messing with my head. Okay, this afternoon, then. Anyway, I wanted to know if you'd like to talk to her then. I know it's not the same as meeting face to face, but maybe it'll do for now?"

"Sure, Dad. I'd like to meet her. It's gotta be kinda odd, though, huh? I mean...talking to Amelia Earhart..." He grinned. "People would think I was crazy. I can't wait, though."

They walked around the building to the car, but Larry stopped his son as he was about to get in the passenger seat.

"What is it, Dad?"

"I just wanted to say...thank you."

As a response, Nicky simply gave his dad a hug. They remained that way for a few moments, just happy to be able to be together and be a family again. Then they stepped back, smiled at each other again, and got in the car. Larry turned the key in the ignition, winced as the engine coughed a few times, and pulled out of the parking lot, heading for home at last.

**A/N:** So, there you go. It was a fairly long chapter (or at least it took me forever to type up) and I HOPE it was worth the wait. I have the next chapter written as well, though again, I have to type and edit it, so that may take a while longer, though I'm going to start working on it as soon as I publish this one, I think. Unless something else demands my attention. As far as I know, it shouldn't, though, so...I will try to have it up before Christmas break ends. I love you all, my wonderful readers, and I'm sorry I've made you suffer and wait. Please review if you feel so inclined, and let me know what you thought of it!


	14. I'll Be Home For Christmas

**A/N: Okay, guys, I said I'd get this up before the end of Christms break, so here it is. Whew...oh, and again, this has been typed on my crappy laptop keyboard, so...please forgive my typos! lol. I don't actually have Chapter 15 finished yet, I'm still writing it, so you're gonna have to wait a while longer for that one, but I DID get a good bit done with it today. No worries. It's still going strong. Anyway, this chapter's a little bit shorter than some recent ones have been, but there are still some important plot developments, so...yeah. I can't think of anything else to say at the moment, really. I'll just get to the story then, like I know you all really want me to. lol, you don't need to hear my rambling. Here it is, Chapter 14!**

**Chapter 14: I'll Be Home For Christmas**

Later that afternoon, father and son were at a pizza parlor eating a late lunch. They had just come in from a rousing one-on-one game of ice hockey, which Nicky had won, of course. Larry was keeping an eye on the cheap TracPhone sitting on the table between them. He had purchased it when he realized how difficult it was to receive a call from Amelia on his home phone when he was supposed to be at work.

"D'you think it's sunset in London yet, Dad?" Nicky asked. He was excited to finally talk to the woman who had captured his father's heart.

"Soon, I think," Larry answered. "I hope, anyway. It can't be much longer, can it?" Just then, as if on cue, the phone began vibrating furiously and emitting a strange squawking noise. Nicky eyed it warily and Larry scrambled to answer. "I couldn't figure out how to change the ring tone," he admitted sheepishly. He spoke into the phone, ignoring his son, who was rolling his eyes in exasperation. "Hello, Larry Daley speaking...Amelia Oh, it's so good to hear from you. I'm glad you're safe. How...no, I'm fine...yes...yes, he's here. Yes of course. He's really anxious to meet you, too. No, you'll be fine...yes, I love you, too. Here's Nicky. He handed the phone over to the boy, who rolled his eyes again.

"Oh, Dad...you are so technologically challenged..." To Amelia he said "Hang on a second and I'll put you on speaker phone, okay?" He pushed a couple of buttons, and then Amelia's voice could be heard by both of them.

"...sounds good. Let me know when you're done." "I'm done Nicky replied.

"Oh." She laughed. "Well, thank you. So, you're the one I've heard so much about? It's nice to finally meet you. Well, sort of meet you, anyway."

"It's nice to meet you, too. I mean, Dad only finally told me about you today, but I've been wanting to meet you ever since then. I don't blame him, though. I guess it's not exactly the kind of thing you can say over the phone or in a letter," Nicky told her.

"That's right. Your dad told me you were at boarding school this year. Do you like it?"

"Mostly. There are a few things that are hard to get used to, but I think it's been a good experience for me."

An awkward pause followed, which Larry felt compelled to end, so he interjected. "It's too bad you two won't be able to meet in person. At least, not for a while.

"About that...we might be back in teh States a lot sooner than we originally thought. Apparently our whirlwind tour of Europe has been cut short," Amelia informed them. "I must say, I'm not all that unhappy about it. I'd rather be home anyway. I miss you too much."

"How short? When will you be back?" Larry wanted to know.

"I'm not sure of the exact date, but I think we're only going to London...France...and I'm pretty sure I heard something about Austria. Maybe Italy. The amount of time we spend in each museum has been cut down, too. I guess they don't expect that we'll attract much attention, so they don't want us around for too long.

"Aw, man, I'll STILL be back at school by the time you guys come back," Nicky complained. "That stinks."

"Sorry, bud," Larry said, ruffling his hair. "Maybe spring break."

"I certainly hope so," Amelia replied. "I'm looking forward to meeting you in person. It'll be-" She stopped suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Larry questioned anxiously. "Amelia, are you okay? What's going on?"

"Shh!" she hissed. "Someone's coming. Be quiet for a minute."

Larry and Nicky began to hear faint voices coming through the phone. It sounded like two gossipy night watchmen were patrolling together.

"...can't believe they decided to send it bakc already. I mean they just got here. What's wrong with them that they don't want them anymore?"

"Not good enough quality," a second voice answered. They were growing louder, so Larry assumed they were getting closer to Amelia. He quickly covered the bottom of the phone to block out the background noise coming from the other patrons at the restaurant. He didn't want to get Amelia caught by the tow men. Who knew what kind of trouble that might cause? "It's pretty shoddy craftsmanship on some of the wax figures, and the clothes are even worse. Not only that, but they're starting to look a bit travel-worn, really. It hasn't been good for them, being shipped from place to place so many times without repairs."

"I dunno, that one looks pretty good to me," the first voice replied. They were noe clearly audible, as though they were standing right next to Amelia, so Larry figured they were probably talking about her.

After a pause, the second voice spoke up again. "She looks different than she did when we unloaded her. She had her hands on her hips then, I think."

"You've been drinking again, Ben," the first guard accused. "States don't move. That's why they're _statues_."

"I've not had a single drop all day, George, my word on it, but I swear she had her hands on her hips earlier. Oh never mind. You're right, anyway. She does look more...lifelike than the others. Looks like she was made better than they were. Better costume, too. Looks pretty authentic. But she's the only one. The others are all...well, dull. That's why they've cut the tour short. After seeing them up close, none of the museum directors want them. Maybe American museums have lower standards, I don't know, but they're being sent back in just over..." The voices faded out as the men moved away.

"Just over what?!?" Larry asked, frustrated. "How long?"

"Larry, Nicky, are you still there? They're gone," Amelia said quietly, a note of relief in her voice. Larry uncovered the bottom of the phone.

"Yeah, we're here," Nicky replied. "Did you hear them say how long until you're shipped back here? That part didn't come through."

"Uh-huh. Obviously someone was really disappointed with us. We're not good enough to be kept more than a week," Amelia told them, slightly sarcastic. "all the other museum directors took one up-close look at us and cancelled."

"Yes! You'll be back before I have to go back to school. You'll even be back in time for Christmas!" the boy shouted, excited. Upon receiving startled looks from the other diners, he flushed and ducked his head. "Oops. Sorry."

Amelia just chuckled. "So enthusiastic. I'm flatteres." Just then, they heard more voices approaching. "I'd better hang up now," she said, sighing. "We're clearly not meant to have any more privacy whatsoever tonight. I'll talk to both of you soon, alright?"

"Sounds good," Larry told her. "Bye!"

"See you soon," his son added.

"Bye!" There was a click, and Larry sighed.

"You miss her already, huh, Dad?"

"Yeah. I do. But we'll see her soon. Until then, let's head home. I think we have enough time to play with the Wii for a bit before I have to get ready for work. How does that sound?"

"Awesome! They don't let us play videogames at school. I've missed kicking your butt on Super Mario Smash Brothers."

"Well, then, Nicky, you're in for a surprise. I've been practicing!"

"Oh, really? You mean you might get more than one hit in? I can't wait! I'm glad you've finally figured out which buttons to push, Dad. You might even be a challenge for once!"

"Why you little...I'm gonna beat you this time, just you watch!"

"Okay, Dad...whatever you say." With that, the two got in the car and drove home, discussing battle strategies the whole way.

**A/N: I hope you all liked it. Please let me know what you thought! I don't think I have too much to do tomorrow, so I can work on Chapter 15 then. I'm HOPING I can have that one up before Christmas break ends, too, but that might not happen. I'm gonna try, but I can't promise. Also, I think I'm coming to the end soon. I have it planned out and I know what's going to happen (if you ask me, I WILL lie through my teeth, so don't bother) and I don't think I'll have more than 20 chapters total. I don't THINK. That is, unless my characters decide to take over and mutate the story. That IS entirely possible. I don't think that will happen, though. Anyway, seeing as I'm coming to the end soon, I'm gonna ask for some input from you guys now, to give you some time to think about it before the last chapter. I have two questions, but one I can't really ask without giving away the ending, so I think I actually WILL save that for the last chapter. But I'll ask this one. After this story, does anyone have any suggestions for fandoms they'd like me to write for? As I say on my profile, I'm willing to try for most books (if I haven't read them I will so I can fulfill requests) some movies (if I've seen them or have access to them so I CAN see them) and maybe a few T.V. shows. You never know until you ask. So if anyone has any requests, I'll see what I can do. Again, no guarantees, but I'll try my best. Thanks for the input! Love you guys, my wonderful readers! Stay tuned for the next chapter, in which Nicky and Amelia FINALLY meet! YAY!!!**


	15. There and Back Again

**A/N: Woohoo! I finished Chapter 15 already. I hope you like it. Umm...I don't really have much more to say. My typing's starting to overtake my writing. I only barely have Chapter 16 started. lol. BUT you guys get Chapter 15, so that's good, right? And the semester's almost over, so after the major cramming, the teachers will all relax for a while, giving me some time to write in class. Yay. I promise I'll work on the next chapter as fast as I can. I can't promise I'll get it done soon, but I can promise I'll try. I was just reading over what I have posted so far, oh my gosh...typos galore...I'm sorry, guys. I'll try to be better. :( Anyway, here it is, Chapter 15. I hope you like it, read, review, and give me suggestions! Oh, and I'll have another question for you guys at the end of this chapter, because that's one of the things that's causing the holdup with Chapter 16.**

**Chapter 15: There And Back Again**

One week later, Amelia and the others were back in storage at the Smithsonian awaiting auction. The museum was closed for Christmas, which was in three days. This gave Larry some time off, so he and Nicky decided to go down to D.C. to visit Amelia, who had promised to have a door open for them.

"What if she doesn't like me, Dad?" Nicky worried aloud.

"She will, I promise," Larry assured him, "and if she doesn't, she isn't the woman I thought she was, and I'd be making a mistake. I'm sure I'm not, though. She'll love you. Look, here's the museum!" Amelia was standing at the door, smiling and waving at them. They hurried up the steps to meet her.

"Nicky! You are Nicky, right?" she asked, suddenly sounding a little uncertain.

He laughed. "Yeah, that's me."

"I thought so. It's great to finally be able to meet you face to face. I mean, I almost feel like I know you already, Larry talks about you so often, but now I really get to see you."

"What, no greeting for me?" Larry asked, pretending to be to be offended. "Don't I matter anymore?"

"Of course you do, silly. I'm sorry," Amelia said. She hugged him, but when she tried to pull away, he wrapped his arms around her waist and locked his hands behind her back. "Larry..." she complained. "Stop. It's cold out here. Let's go inside."

"You said we'd have something to look forward to when we saw each other again. Well, I've been looking forward to it, and I'm not going to let you go until i get it," he insisted.

With an exasperated sigh, Amelia gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "There. Now can we go in?"

"That hardly counts," Larry protested, but Nicky interrupted.

"Are you two gonna stand here and flirt all night, or can we actually go in the building? I'm freezing."

"Sorry, Nick," Larry said with a grin, wile Amelia blushed at the boy's frank statement. He held the door and gestured for the other two to proceed into the building.

Inside, Nicky gazed around, awestruck. "Wow. this is amazing. All these planes...the Apollo moon lander, fighter planes...and the Wright Flyer!" Larry and Amelia winced in unison, remembering their not-so-graceful landing in that particular aircraft. Meanwhile, Nicky was scanning the museum like he was looking for something specific. Seeming slightly disappointed, he turned back to look at Amelia. "I don't see your plane."

"You know what my plane looks like?"

"Yeah. I've been doing some research." The boy grinned. "I wanted to know what my dad was getting himself into."

The pilot raised her eyebrows. "Hmm. Smart, too. You've got a wonderful son, here, Ace." She started toward the stairs. "I'll show you my plane, if you'd like. It's upstairs."

Nicky raced after her excitedly, while Larry trailed behind them, looking slightly dejected at being left behind. "Oh, man, this si so cool. I wonder what the other boys at school would say if they could see me now. Being shown around the Air and Space museum by Amelia Earhart herself..." He frowned. "Actually, I know what they'd say. They call me a nerd for being so excited about it."

Amelia snorted. "Well, then they're idiots." At Nicky's surprised look, she smiled. "Here's what I think: knowledge is power, right? But to know things, you have to LEARN them. WHat other kid has such an amazing opportunity to learn as you do? You not only get to see historical figures, you get to talk to them, ask them questions, learn history from those who saw it, hear about discoveries firsthand from thoe who made them, find out how they think, hear their stories as they themselves tell them, and even find out things that no one else ever knew about them. If that isn't exciting, i don't know what is. Those poor suckers don't who would pick on you for being excited about something like this don't know what they're missing if they wouldn't even WANT to learn."

"Yeah, and that's great, but they can make life miserable all the same, just because someone doesn't fit in. They hate me because-"

"Because they're scared of you," Amelia finished for him. When he started to protest, she stopped him. "They're scared of you. You are so much smarter, so much nicer, so much more perceptive, so much more likable, so much...better than they are. If you wanted to, you could make them all look like idiots, and they know that, and it worries them. They feel inadequate, and to ease that feeling, they do everything they can to make you feel worse than they do. Make sense?" They boy just nodded thoughtfully. "So, now you know how they think, how they feel, and why they do what they do. The only question remaining is: what are you going to do with this new knowledge, this new power?"

"I think...I don't know yet," Nicky responded.

Amelia put an arm around his shoulders. "I know how you're feeling, Nicky. I went through it myself. A lot of people didn't think women could fly, and I scared them when I proved them wrong. I got picked on and put down by a lot of people. You just have to know how to deal with it and who you can turn to for help when you need it."

By this time they had reached the top of the stairs. "Okay, don't tell me. I cant to see if I can find it," Nicky said, wandering off to examine the planes on the second floor. Larry took the opportunity to talk to Amelia alone, and pulled her off to the side.

"Thank you so much, Amelia, for what you said. He hadn't even told me he was having so much trouble at school until recently, and even then, he wouldn't tell me much, only that he could handle it. I didn't know how to help..."

She could tell he was feeling bad that he hadn't been able to do more, so she slipped her arms around his neck and hugged him."It's okay, Ace. Some things just need a woman's touch. I mean, nothing against you, but there's no way Nicky's going to tell you that he's being bullied. Just think about it," she continued. "You're his father. He loves you so much, and he looks up to you. He wants you to be proud of him, so he's trying to prove, both to you and himself, that he can handle this by himself, without your help. He was willing to accept a little advice from me, though, because he's not as worried about proving to me how tough he is, especially since I went through the same thing. My only question is..." She hesitated, not sure how to approach a potentially sensitive subject. "Larry, where's his mother? Why isn't she doing this for him?"

Larry grimaced. "Erika and Don are a little busy lately. They have one new baby, and she's expecting again already. They don't really have time for a son that's already almost grown. The custody agreements have changed, too. He's now with me except on Saturdays. That's all the time the happy couple can spare for him, and even then, he's with me some Saturdays, too."

"That's so...wrong! He's her son! You'd think the least she could do was muster the energy to talk to him once in a while, find out if he's hurting, why he's hurting, and help him through it!" She blew out an angry breath. "Well, then, I'll just have to stand in for her as much as I can, won't I?"

Larry shook his head and smile sadly. "What would I do without you, love? You take such good care of us."

Nicky came back over to them. "Okay, I give up. Where is it?"

"Right over here. It's kind of hidden." She lead the way over to a small alcove housing three planes. The one in the back was her little cherry red Lockheed. "That's probably why you didn't notice it." She looked at the barrier separating them from the three planes for a moment, contemplating. "Oh, dash it all, this is no good." Hopping the barrier, she found a latch on the inside and turned it, which allowed a panel on the barrier to swing out to admit her companions. "How about a closer look?"

Nicky's eyes lit up and he and Amelia hurried over to her plane. She gave him a full tour, explained how everything worked, showed him the inside, and even let him sit in the pilot's seat while she taught him which gears, levers, and other mechanical bits and bobs controlled what on the plane. It was all incomprehensible to Larry, but as he watched the two together, a sense of peace stole over him, and all of his doubts began to disappear. Nicky and Amelia obviously got along quite well, so he didn't need to worry about that any more. She hadn't been sold in Europe. She was back on the States, and it was nearly time for Christmas. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that they still had problems to face. There was the auction, as well as the issue of Amelia's humanity, or lack thereof. Still, these just didn't seem like the insurmountable obstacles that they had previously. He just had a feeling that everything would work out. He smiled to himself as he settled down in a corner to watch his son and the love of his life.

The night passed entirely too quickly, though, and all too soon, it was time for Nicky and Larry to head home. The boy tactfully pretended to be utterly absorbed in contemplation fo the sample of moon rock at the entrance to the building. Larry gratefully took advantage of this and wrapped his arms around Amelia.

"I love you," he told her. "Thank you so much. He's happier tonight than he's been all week, you know. I think you really took a load off his mind."

"Well, I'm glad I could help," she replied. "He's a wonderful young man, and I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with him."

"Gee, I couldn't tell," Larry quipped. "Seriously, though, I"m glad you and he get along so well." He bit his lip. "Amelia..." He sighed. "I had been hoping to spend Christmas with you, btu I think the otehr exhibits in New York want to have a celebration, too, which means I have to be there to keep things under control. You're welcome to come up if you can get away, but...I don't want to let them all down."

"Oh, by all means, I wouldn't want them to be disappointed. I'll fly up. It sounds like fun, really."

Larry sighed with relief. "I'm glad. I didn't thin you'd be annoyed, but I wanted to make sure it was alright with you."

Amelia rested her head on Larry's shoulder, her face the picture of contentment. "I wish you didn't have to go, but i can live with it if i know I'll see you again soon." She quite effectively cut off any reply he had been about to make by covering his mouth with hers. She had intended to keep it short for Nicky's sake, but all conscious thought went out the window as soon as their lips met. His breath mingled pleasantly with hers, tasting faintly of peppermint, and his arms tightened around her, pulling her close against his body. It just felt so good, so...right, and she didn't want it to end. Finally, though, and regretfully, she broke off the kiss. "I'll see you soon, Ace."

Then she went over to Nicky, who's face was beet red. "Do I get a goodbye hug from you?"

He nearly knocked her over as he threw his arms around her. "I can't wait until Christmas, especially if you're gonna be there!"

Amelia laughed. "I'm glad you're so excited. I'll see you in a couple of days, alright? You make sure to take care of your dad for me until then."

He nodded and released her. "Thanks for everything."

She walked Larry and Nicky to the door and stood waving to them until they were out of sight. Then she slowly made her way back to the crate she was being stored in until the auction. If she was going to be joining Larry, Nicky, and the others for Christmas, she needed to think about gifts. She already had something in mind for the boy, but Larry...that was going to be difficult. It had to be just right...

* * *

Meanwhile, Larry was having very similar thoughts. He wanted to do something special for Amelia for Christmas, but he wasn't sure what. Then, in a flash, inspiration hit him. He knew EXACTLY what to do. "Nicky, I'm gonna need your help with something..."

**A/N: That's the first time I've ever had an excuse to use a page break. lol. Okay, guys, as promised, Chapter 15 before Christmas break ended. Whew. *wipes away sweat* Three chapters in quick succession has worn out my muse...so here's what I need your help on. I have absolutely NO CLUE what Amelia should do for Larry for Christmas. That's why I left it so ambiguous in the story and didn't even say that she had an idea, because I truly had no clue. If anyone has a suggestion for me, I'll certainly take it into consideration. Thanks for all your help, guys, you're amazing, I love you, you rock, etc. lol. Please let me know what you thought and what your ideas are, I'd love to hear them! I'll try to finish writing Chapter 16 soon. Always grateful, always yours, all my love! ~BookLizard~**

P.S. Can you tell that I'm sleep deprived? lol...


	16. All I want for Christmas is You

**A/N:** **Okay, everyone, the long-awaited chapter 16. Whew, it's finally up. Thank you so much to all of you who stayed with me through this. I'm sorry it took so long, but my life got eaten when i got cast as the lead in a musical and rehersals began. It's over now and I'm laid up for a few days (knee surgery) so I might even be able to get chapter 17 written, maybe even typed and edited and posted. If I can't, I'm sorry, but I promise to try. thank you so much for all of you who stuck with me and believed in me when I said I hadn't really given up on this story, becasue once again, I promise you, I won't. It may take me a while to finish it, but I WILL finish it. anyway, I dedicate this chapter to all of you who stayed around and were patient with me and also to one of my readers, whose sughestion for christmas presents I took and used. I sort of modified it a bit, but in essence it's the same idea, so there you have it. I'm not going to say anything more than that so I don't give it away. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I'm sorry once more that it took so long to get it posted. I apologize for any typos, I typed this up at 2:10 in the morning while I was hopped up on heavy-duty pain medication, there are bound to be a few stupid mistakes. Please bear with me. Thanks.**

**Chapter 16: All I Want for Christmas is You**

On Christmas Eve Larry was feeling jittery. It was not too long after sunset, and the museum had been closed all day, allowing him to put up some Christmas decorations for the exhibits' celebration that night. Some of the exhibits had decided to lend a hand, and pandemonium had erupted when the Neanderthals discovered tinsel. Nicky had been helping, too, but he had been one of the unfortunate victims of the tinsel terrors and had, as yet, been unable to extricate himself.

The night guard was perched rather precariously on top of Rexy's head, attempting to put the star on top of the large tree that had been set up in a corner of the lobby. Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a little yellow object zooming toward him and trailing a long string of lights. Jed and Octavius had been planning to use their plane to wrap it around the tree. Apparently Rexy spotted it, too, and habit took over. He snapped at it, trying to catch the two tiny men. This quick movement dislodged Larry and he fell with a shout, expecting to make rather painful contact with the ground. Instead, he hit something far softer, and whatever it was let out a loud, "Oof!" Even so, he had the breath knocked out of him, and he was a little dazed.

His savior also seemed to be winded. Larry could hear whoever it was coughing and wheezing. Once the person regained control of their breathing, they spoke. "Well, Mr. Daley, if I had to take a guess, I'd say you were falling for me. Or on me rather, but it's close enough. As much as I do love you, Ace, d'you mind getting up? I can't breathe very well with you sitting on top of me like this."

"Sorry, Amelia," he responded hastily, rolling off of her and sitting up. "When did you get here?"

"Just in the nick of time, apparently," she responded, grinning.

Jed and Octavius came in for a quick landing next to them, and the two tiny leaders disembarked as fast as they could. Octavius bowed deeply while Jed took off his hat and began fiddling with it nervously. "My liege, my lady" the Roman said, "I must apologize. We had no intention of injuring you, we were merely trying to assist with the decorating. Are you hurt?"

Amelia quickly reassured the general. "Just had the wind knocked out of me by this great lump here, that's all. Are you okay, Ace?"

"Other than my emotional damage at your name calling, I'm fine. You broke my fall pretty well. By the way, thanks for that. I would've been in a world of hurt if you hadn't shown up." He got to his feet and held out a hand to help her up, which she gratefully accepted. "I'm glad you made it," he told her, "and for more than one reason. Maybe you'll have better luck helping poor Nicky than I did."

"Why? What happened?" she asked, alarmed.

Larry just laughed. "Well, see for yourself." He gestured to where the boy sat next to a small pile of tinsel, trying to pull the clingy strands away from his skin and clothing. "The Neanderthals found the tinsel and decided to 'help' him put it up. So far he's only managed to get a bit of it off one piece at a time."

She snickered. "The poor thing. Nicky, do you need some help?"

The boy looked up. "You're here! Awesome! Yeah, I guess a little help would be nice." Unfortunately for her, Amelia failed to see the mischievous glint in his eyes, and as soon as she got close enough, he pounced, hugging her so that much of the clingy silver tinsel stuck to her instead of himself.

She escaped his hold to assess the damage. Why you little…c'mere!" She started tickling him and he fell to his knees in the pile of tinsel. She didn't stop until he was begging for mercy.

"Stop! Stop! I surrender!" he squeaked between bursts of laughter and frantic gasps for air.

"Oh, now you'll be a good boy, huh? Now that you know you won't win. Maybe I should just take your Christmas present back," Amelia teased, hauling the breathless boy to his feet.

"Christmas present?" Nicky repeated, eyes wide. "You mean you actually got me something? What is it? How did you manage that?"

She smiled enigmatically. "You'll see. For now, though, let's get this party started! Do we have some music?"

"Right here," Larry answered, "as soon as I figure out how to connect this iPod to the speaker system."

Nicky rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. "Oh, Dad. Just plug it in and press play. I already have it set to the Christmas playlist."

Larry did as he was instructed, then jumped as an upbeat Christmas tune came blaring through the loudspeakers. "Huh. It worked." The music was perfect for dancing, and the exhibits put down whatever they were working on and began to gather in the lobby, some dancing and some being wallflowers. A small area had been roped off for the miniatures so they wouldn't be stepped on, and the Westerners and Romans were mingling freely with each other and enjoying themselves.

"This is more like it," Amelia crowed. C'mon, Ace! Let's dance!"Ignoring his protestations that he couldn't dance, he didn't know how, she pulled him out into the middle of the dancing crowd where, for the next hour and a half, he had a great time, despite his initial reluctance.

Finally Larry called a temporary halt to the music. "All right, everybody. We're going to have our gift exchange now." The exhibits had been particularly excited about this aspect of Christmas, and because they couldn't purchase gifts for one another, some had simply made gifts out of things that wouldn't be missed around the museum. For the others, Larry had instituted a payment plan. He'd buy the gifts of the exhibits agreed to assist him with his duties for a certain number of nights. Teddy, for example, had agreed to take over for Larry and give him a week off. In exchange, Larry had taken the President shopping one night and he had picked out a beautiful necklace to give to Sacajawea, which Larry had paid for. Sacajawea, in return, was giving Teddy a wonderful pair of antique field glasses in excellent condition and of far better quality than the ones he already owned. She was helping him with his chores for nearly two weeks to pay for them. Even a bashful Jedediah had promised to help Larry in any way he could if the night guard would help him get a gift for his Roman friend.

Now, as all the exhibits scrambled to find their gifts under the tree and unwrap them, Larry was glad that he had done what he could to give them a happy Christmas. Their excitement was more than thanks enough for all the effort he had put into this celebration.

Nicky ran over with a package in hand. "It's for you," he told a surprised Amelia. When she unwrapped it, she found a beautiful new aviator's scarf inside.

"Oh, Nicky, it's lovely. Thanks you so much!" she exclaimed, immediately taking off her old scarf and wrapping the new one about her neck. "It's so soft." She then handed him a piece of paper. "I hope you like it. I'm sorry I couldn't do more for you, but—"

She was cut off as he threw his arms around her. "Oh, thank you! This is going to be so cool! I can't wait!" The paper was a homemade certificate promising him flying lessons with the famous pilot. He hugged her again, but then another exhibit called his name and he had to dash of, making a promise to return soon.

Amelia smiled after the boy and then turned to Larry. She was holding another piece of paper and she looked somewhat bashful. "What's the matter, love?" he asked her.

"I have something for you, too, Ace. Before you get excited, it's not much. I didn't have any money, you see, and I couldn't buy you something nice, you understand, but I wanted to do SOMETHING for you and—"

Larry cut her off. "Amelia, you being here is the only gift I need. Anything else is superfluous. You didn't have to do anything."

She smiled at him. "Well, since I couldn't buy you something…" She blushed. I wrote you a poem. A sonnet, in fact. I was going to read it to you. I know it's not much, but—"

"Amelia, I'm sure I'll love it more than anything you could have purchased at a store because this came straight from your heart," Larry reassured her, smiling. She nervously returned his smile, then she cleared her throat.

"Okay, here it is then." The pilot cleared her throat again and began to read, hesitantly at first, but with more confidence as she continued.

Where is Love found? This no one can predict  
And many are deceived by skillful lies  
Not knowing quite how they can contradict  
These feelings that, at first, do seem so wise  
They stumble onward, thinking it is true  
Because they do not know how real love feels  
Theirs is a narrow-minded point of view  
Their heart are closed, and false love's wounds can't heal  
But I know now that I've found love so true  
That never more will I be led astray  
For now and ever, I'm in love with you  
And that is where my heart's content to stay  
I pity those poor souls who'll never feel  
A love like ours, so tangible, so real.

By the time she finished, Larry had tears in his eyes, and he didn't care if she saw them. He didn't try to hide it, instead drawing her into a fierce hug. "That was so beautiful, Amelia. Thank you. I'm just…" He shook his head helplessly. "I've never had anyone do something so wonderful for me before."

"I'm glad you liked it," Amelia said, her relief evident on her face.

"Larry smiled and kissed her. "I loved it. Now, it's my turn. I have a present for you."

Ignoring her protests, he took her hand and pulled her away from the crowd around the Christmas tree. "Stop complaining and come with me. You'll love it, I promise. At least, I hope you will..."He led her through a doorway into a small corridor just off the main lobby. There was no one else there, so Larry stopped and began searching his pockets, looking for something. "Ah, found it." He pulled a little black box out of his pocket and, opening it, he got down on one knee.

"Amelia Earhart, will you marry me?"

Inside the box was nestled the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. It was big or gaudy, but it was perfect. It was a simple, small diamond framed by two delicate golden flowers. In the center of each of these rested a tiny, brilliant blue sapphire.

She tried to say something but found that she couldn't get any words out past the lump in her throat. She didn't even notice the tears running down her cheeks at first, but Larry certainly did.

"Hey, don't cry! Amelia, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you!" He stood up and put his arms around her. "Please stop crying. You don't have to say yes, it's alright." She just shook her head and buried her face in his shoulder, sobbing. Larry held her and rocked her quietly as she cried, wondering what he wad done wrong.

Finally her tears slowed and she pulled away. "I'm sorry, Ace. I didn't mean to go all to pieces like that. You must think I'm some kind of nut."

"It's okay, Amelia. I'm the one who should be apologizing. I didn't want to make you cry. You can just forget that I said anything if that would make you feel better," Larry told her. "You don't have to say yes. I didn't want to upset you."

"Larry, I…I don't know what to say. I mean, it's not that I don't want to marry you. I'd like nothing better, but…are you sure that's what YOU want?" Her voice shook as she asked this, and she took a deep breath to steady it, holding up a hand to stop his reply. "Hear me out, please. I'm not human, Larry. I'm not real, and I can't give you everything that a real woman could. I can't go for a walk in the park in the daytime or pick Nicky up from school or the subway station. I'm tied to a museum if I don't want to die in the morning. I'm a statue during the day. Also, though I doubt it's been tried before, I don't think we could ever have children. I can't be seen with you in public to often or someone's going to wonder why you're dating an animatronic figure, and why only at night. Wouldn't you rather have a real woman, someone who really CAN give you all of these things?"

"You're real enough for me, Amelia," Larry answered her firmly. "You're all I'll ever need or want, because I love you, and so does Nicky. You've been so good to him, better than his own mother. I KNOW he approves and wants you in our family because he went with me and helped me pick out this ring. I promise you, I wouldn't have asked you if I wasn't sure, if I hadn't thought it through a million times and decided that you're the one for me each and every time. Now, let's try this again, okay? Amelia, I love you with all of my heart and I want you to marry me. What do you say? Will you be my wife?"

She nodded, unable to force words past the lump that had returned to her throat. This time, though, it was caused by happiness. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I love you, too, Ace, and I want nothing more than to marry you. Thank you so much."

He took the ring out of the box and slid it on her finger. It was a perfect fit. "It's beautiful, but not as beautiful as you, love. It looks perfect on your finger. Do you like your Christmas present, Amelia?"

"Depends. Do you mean the ring, or the real gift that came with it? Because really, all I want for Christmas is you."

Just then the two of them heard the soft strains of a slow Christmas tune filtering into the hallway from the lobby. "Believe in what your heart is saying, hear the melody that's playing, there's no time to wait, there's so much to celebrate…" Larry smiled and pulled her into a warm embrace, and she rested her head on his chest, content to stay there for as long as she could. Unfortunately, it wasn't going to last very long…

**A/N:**** Well, what did you all think? I hope you liked it. Thank you agin to all of you who gave me excellent suggestions when I asked you for help. The one I actually used was given to me twice by two people who've never come in contact in very quick succession, which made me think it was fate that I use it, lol. My cousin told me and then I went home and checked my reviews and saw that one of you had said the same thing. I also hope you enjoyed my Shakespearean sonnet. This is my first ever attempt at writing a sonnet. We were learning about them in Shakespeare class so I figured I'd give it a try. Let me tel you, writing in iambic pentameter is addicting. I can't stop now, that's how all my poetry comes out whether I like it or not anymore. The rhyme scheme was proving difficult, as well, and I'm still not too sure if I accomplished the required Volta or not. I think I did, but no matter. I'll shut up now. Thanks to all of you once again, I hope you enjoyed it, please review and let me know. I love all of my readers!**


	17. Going Once, Going Twice, SOLD!

**A/N:**** OKay, finally Chapter 17 is up. Wow. This one was a real pain in my bum to write. I had it nearly finished, and then my characters decided to stage a revolt becasue they didn't like what I had planned. Grr. I must say, one of them really surprised me. I had no idea he was even capable...but you'll find out what I'm talking about. Anyway, sorry it took so long. I was really busy. School's almost out, though, and I'll be able towrite more consistantly (I hope) from then on out. Anyway, for now, enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 17: Going Once…Going Twice…SOLD!**

The auction was scheduled to take place three days after Christmas. Museum directors were walking into the lobby of the Castle and settling down in the chairs that had been set up for the occasion. It was going to be an all-day affair, because some smaller items were being auctioned off as well, but the main attraction was the women's history exhibit.

Larry, after dropping his son off at school and making sure his stepfather would pick him up, had personally escorted Dr. MacPhee to the Castle, mostly so he could make sure they arrived in time. Unfortunately for his nerves, however, MacPhee had proven more contrary than he had anticipated. The two men walked in the door just as the first lot was being sold. "Oh, we're late, we're late…"

"Is it a very important date, Mr. Daley?" Dr. MacPhee asked, voice laden with sarcasm. "Relax. We're not THAT late." He found a couple of chairs near the back and the two men sat down. Larry kept fidgeting until MacPhee shot him an irritated look. After that, he tried to keep his nerves to himself.

Finally, Amelia's exhbit was announced as being the next lot up for sale. "WE're sorry it's too big to put up here, folks," the auctioneer said, "but it's a real nice exhibit, a fine addition to any museum, I assure you. Let's open the bidding at $10,000, shall we?"

MacPhee raised his hand and the auctioneer acknowledged it. Another man bid $20,000, then a woman raised it to $25,000. MacPhee bid $30,000, but he was outbid again, this time by a man sitting near the front who raised it all the way to $50,000. MacPhee hissed in a breath. "Ouch. I don't think we're going to get this one, Mr. Daley. A shame, really. Would have been a wonderful addition to our museum, they were a big hit with the crowds. Ah, well. There were a few nice pieces coming up after this one that I might be able to buy instead…"

Larry only dimly heard what MacPhee was saying. He was shocked by the realization that Amelia might be shipped off to a museum somewhere across the country where he couldn't see her anymore. The bids continued to rise, and bidders began dropping out until only MacPhee and the high bidder in the front remained. MacPhee hung on until $80,000, but when the other man made another $20,000 jump, he shook his head. "I'm done," he told the auctioneer.

Larry let out a kind of muffled graon of disbelief, got up, and started out the door. MacPhee looked at him strangely for a moment before following him. "Mr. Daley, what on Earth is the matter with you today? You've been jumpier than a…I just don't know what to think. Would you tell me what's the matter?" Showing a bit of rather uncharacteristic kindness, he took Larry gently by the arm and led him to a bench. "Now, tell me exactly what's got you so upset." When Larry shook his head, the museum director sighed. "Mr. Daley, please don't lie to me anymore. I know something is going on, I just don't know what. Care to fill me in?"

To his surprise, Larry found himself going back to the beginning and telling his boss everything that had happened since his first night on the job. When he had finished, MacPhee let out a long breath and sat back. "Mr. Daley, any sane man would be either laughing or calling an institution right now. I would be doing just that if I hadn't seen some proof of this with my own eyes, and really, I don't think that even you could make up a tale as fantastic as this one. Now we just have to decide what to do about it." At Larry's shocked expression, he winked. "I'm not quite the heartless, tyrannical dictator I pretend to be, Mr. Daley. Just don't tell anyone else. It would ruin my reputation, and then who would keep our crazy museum under control? Now, it appears that the auction has ended while you were telling your tale. I'll see if I can find the man that outbid me and persuade him to let me take Miss Earhart off his hands. Wait here." With that, MacPhee rose smoothly and joined the rather sizeable group of mingling museum directors, leaving a shell-shocked night guard in his wake.

About fifteen minutes later, he reappeared, weaving his way through the crowd back to where Larry was sitting. Larry felt his hopes rising until he saw that the director was shaking his head and wearing and apologetic look. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Daley. I tried, I really did, but he insisted that he needed her to, as he put it, 'complete the set'. He wouldn't sell."

Larry slumped. "Please, at least tell me his museum is close enough for visits. Where are they going?"

MacPhee winced. "California."

"Oh, good grief," Larry said. "Murphy's Law, huh? Okay, we'll figure something out, somehow. She has my cell phone, I'll call her tonight. We'll work something out."

"I certainly hope so, Mr. Daley, for your sake and hers," Dr. MacPhee said, putting a hand on Larry's shoulder. "I hope so."

**A/N:**** Huh. That definately looked onger in my notebook. Sorry it was so short, guys. I'll try to get the next chapter up soon. I have some good news and some bad news for you. The good news is that I've almost finished writing this story. The bad news, I haven't typed the rest of it up yet. I'll get there, though. At least I finally know what's going to happen at the end. There MAY be a sequel, but I'm not too sure at this point. Also, already have my next fic. planned out! It'll be a oneshot on the Star Trek: Voyager fandom. If any of you guys are fans of that, I'll be writing it as soon as I'm done with this one. Also, I'll take requests, because I don't think it'll be a long oneshot, and I'll want something to write after that. Thanks for sticking with me, guys! PLease review!**

P.S. I apologize for any typos, I didn't spellcheck this carefully because I wanted to get it up.


	18. Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours

**A/N: Okay, here's 18, only one more to go after this! Woo! And school's finally out, so it should be up soon.**

**Chapter 18: Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours**

Larry spent the rest of the night in a state somewhere between shock and panic. He kept trying to call Amelia, and he heard someone pick up the phone and then hang up a second later. Every time after that it went straight to the voicemail.

By the next morning, he was so exhausted that MacPhee had even offered to call a taxi to get him home safely (an offer that concerned the night guard as much as anything else that had happened. His boss's sudden friendly attitude was throwing him for a loop). Larry declined and hauled himself home so he could sleep. His alarm clock summoned him several hours later, loudly informing him that he had to pick his son up from school. Just as he was about to leave, though, his phone rang. Exasperated, he turned and grabbed it. "Hello?"

He heard his boss's voice on the other end. "Mr. Daley? I'd like you to try to come to work early tonight. There's been a…package delivered for you."

"Who's it from, and why on Earth is someone sending me packages at work?"

"Just…come over and find out for yourself, alright?" With that, Dr. MacPhee hung up the phone.

"Wait! Oh…everyone's hanging up on me," Larry muttered. "Fine. Whatever. I'll show up early.

He grabbed his bag for work and picked up Nicky. When he told the boy why they were going in early, he was excited. "Wow, maybe it's something really cool! I can't wait to find out what it is."

Larry grimaced. "Unless it's a message from the director of the California museum saying he'll sell, I'm not too interested." At Nicky's puzzled look, he realized that he had forgotten to fill the boy in on the evens of the previous day. He massaged his temples for a moment in a futile attempt to stave off the headache that he could feel beginning, and then he proceeded to tell his son everything that had happened at the auction.

When he finished, they were pulling into the museum's employee parking lot, and Nicky was looking about as shocked and upset as his father felt. "But…that's not fair! He can't just BUY her like that without even caring where she wants to go. I mean, she's still alive, just…a different kind of alive."

"Unfortunately, Nick, h actually CAN just buy her," Larry told his son gently. The two of them walked up the stairs and into the building as Larry continued. "It's not that I don't think it's wrong, and believe me when I say I hate it, but the fact remains that as long as people don't know that these exhibits are alive, they'll continue to treat them as possessions and inanimate objects, and there's not much we can do about it."

"But there's gotta be something we can do about this. How are we gonna help her?"

The night guard hesitated. "I'm not sure yet, but we'll figure something out, I promise."

"Ah, Mr. Daley, you're here. Wonderful." The pair looked up to see Dr. MacPhee hurrying toward them. "Your package is down in your office, and let me tell you, we had a time getting it down there. It came with a note—. " He patted his pockets for a minute before he located it in the breast pocket of his jacket, and then handed it to Larry. "It did not have a return address, however."

Larry raised his eyebrows. "No return address? Who would be sending me anonymous packages? Are you sure it's not a bomb or something?"

"Positive, Mr. Daley." MacPhee reassured him. He gave a knowing grin. "I received a note of my own. I think it's something you'll enjoy, but I'm not telling you anything else." He held up a hand to silence Larry's protests. "Just read the note."

The night guard unfolded the piece of paper in his hand and began to read it aloud.

"Please don't open this package yet. I know, curiosity must be getting to you, but I'm just going to ask you to trust me for a little while. I promise it will be worth your while. All I want you to do is sit with the box until it's time to open it. I'll bet you're asking how you'll know when it's time. You'll have to trust me again for this: you'll know. I'm not going to tell you anything else, lest it ruin your surprise. All I have left to say is good luck and I wish you every happiness. I promise you'll love what's in the box."

"Well, that's weird," Nicky said, quite neatly summing up the letter's contents. His father huffed and shoved the note in his pocket.

"It seems a little rude to me, really. Just telling me not to open it, but it's something I'll love when I figure out that I'm supposed to open it; and THEN they tell me I have to sit there until I figure it out."

"There was some rather expensive express shipping postage on your box, as well, Mr. Daley," MacPhee informed him. "I think you'd best just do as the note says. It's the least you can do, after they sent that kind of money on you."

Larry eyes him. "What is it that you're not telling me?"

"It'll me sundown soon. You I suggest that you get changed awhile so you can do your job once you're done sitting with your box." With that parting shot, MacPhee hurried away to shout at a couple of teenagers who were trying to touch Rexy. "Oi, you, there, get of the exhibit!"

Larry heaved a sigh. "Okay, thin. Nick, are you staying for the night?" The boy nodded. "All right then. Can you tell Teddy he might need to cover for me for a little while? Thanks pal. This could take a while."

He went down to the locker room and stopped short at the sight of the massive box in the middle of the room. "What on Earth?" he asked, staring. "This is crazy. Who would send me something that big without even a name?" He shook his head and went to change.

When he came back there was no sign that the box had changed in any way and nothing to let him know that he was supposed to open it, so he dug around in his bag, pulled out his old paperback copy of The Hound of the Baskervilles, sat down, put his feet up on his desk, and began to read.

He knew the exact moment when the museum woke up because he heard the sound of hooves clopping across the floor above him and the sound of one of the wooly mammoths trumpeting. He looked down at his mystery box and, deciding that he hadn't been magically informed that he was supposed to open it, he got up to leave the room. As he reached the door, though, he heard a loud thumping from inside the box. He jumped and spun around to stare at it with wide eyes. It thumped again, and he hurried over. "Is there someone in there?" he called, thinking that it was a practical joke and not really expecting an answer.

"Yes, so open it up, you ninny!" came the muffled response. Larry jumped, surprised. "Omigosh, who is it? Who's there?"

"Oh for the love of…just open the box, Ace! I'm getting claustrophobic!

"Ace," he muttered and then threw open the lid of the box. Amelia sat up and grinned at him, picking packing material from her curls.

"Well, aren't you surprised to see me? Where's my hug?" she asked him, playfully. Then, taking in his expression, she frowned. "What's the matter, Ace? Aren't you happy to see me?"

He sat down hard on the floor. "What happened to you? All I knew was that I couldn't call you. The phone was off. I was so worried…"

She grimaced. "I'm sorry about that. Really, I am. I had to turn the phone off, though. I was in the middle of an important conversation with the museum director. Oh, don't look at me like that, Ace. He caught me, I had to explain things to him, and it's a good thing I did. Everything worked out. Don't you understand? He's the one who sent me here. He said he'd send you a note, too. Larry, I'm here to stay. I'm yours."

Realization hit Larry like a lightning bolt. "You mean…you don't have to leave again? Oh, Amelia. I just…I can't believe it. I must be dreaming. Somebody convince me I'm not, please."

Obligingly, she smacked him, just hard enough to sting a bit. "Ouch! What was that for?"

"Well, you asked me to convince you you're not dreaming. That's what I was doing."

He rolled his eyes. "I didn't mean that you had to do that, though. What is it with you and hitting me?" he asked petulantly as he helped her out of her box.

"Oh, that didn't hurt. I might be forced to do it again, though if you don't stop complaining and kiss me," she told him firmly and, without waiting for his reply, she pulled him closer and kissed him instead. He responded immediately, deepening the kiss and wrapping his arms around her. She sighed contentedly and melted into his embrace.

It was at that moment that Nicky came running through the open door. "Hey, Dad, did you open…aw, geez…" Larry and Amelia broke apart, both of them bushing guiltily. "What is going on here?"

"Amelia worked her charms on the California director and got him to send her here," Larry informed the boy, a huge grin on his face.

"What? Dad, are you serious? Oh wow. That's amazing! So…you're here to stay?"

The pilot nodded. "Looks like you two are stuck with me."

Nicky let out an excited whoop and raced out of the room. He was back a second later, dashing over to Amelia to give her a quick hug, and then he was gone again. Larry and Amelia could hear him yelling the whole way up the stairs. "Teddy! Guess what? She's back, and she gets to stay!"

Amelia laughed. "I'm glad someone's excited."

"Believe me, if I wasn't so scared that you'd disappear again, I'd be doing the same thing," Larry told her.

"Oh, Ace," she murmured. "What can I do to convince you that I'm here to stay?"

"Just let me hold you," he responded softly.

She smiled. "That, I can do." As he put his arms around her, she sighed, feeling safe in the knowledge that they wouldn't be forced apart again.

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed it, sorry again for making you wait so long, thank you to all my faithful readers who stuck with me, 19 will be up soon! Please let me know what you thought!**


	19. Epilogue

**A/N: Okay, here it is. This is the end. lol. Umm...I have some kinda important stuff to tell you all at the end of the chapter, so...yeah. Enjoy this!**

**Chapter Nineteen: Epilogue**

The startled priest was spouting questions as he was ushered into the Natural History Museum of New York by someone who either was President Theodore Roosevelt or looked just like him. "I thought I was here for a wedding. What's going on? Why am I at a museum? Who are you? Why are you on a horse? What's happening here?"

"Relax, my good man, all will be explained in time, and if not, it's not important. All you really need to know for the moment is that yes, you are here to perform a wedding ceremony. You'll be meeting the groom shortly. Ah, here he is now!"

Utterly bemused, the priest stared as a dark-haired man in a tuxedo came hurrying out of the museum to greet them. "Oh, good, you made it here. Come on, let's get inside. I'm Larry, by the way. Larry Daley. Nice to meet you Father…"

"Joseph," the priest replied faintly. "Will someone PLEASE tell me what is going on?"

"Oh, you'll find out soon. For now," The odd tuxedoed man seized Joseph's arm and pulled him inside. "We're about to get started." The priest couldn't help but gasp at the sight of the building. It was decorated simply, but elegantly, with gauzy white material draped in dips and curves around the main lobby and flowers adorning the stair rail. A large arch had been set up at one end of the huge room with a white carpet leading up to it from the bottom of the staircase. "That's where you'll stand, Father," the groom said, pointing to the archway which was obviously serving as the altar.

Dazedly, Joseph stumbled over and stood where he was told. He watched as the oddest assortment of guests he had ever seen proceeded to enter and claim seats. He remembered hearing something on the news about the museum exhibits being animated, but this was the first time he'd seen it with his own eyes. It seemed as though the entire museum was coming in to watch the wedding he was supposed to perform!

As the poor priest was processing what was going on, music began to play over the PA system. The guests fell silent and the man in the tux (Larry, he reminded himself) joined him under the archway to wait for the bride. He was followed closely by Teddy Roosevelt escorting…Sacagawea? Following the best man and the maid of honor was a boy, presumably the ring bearer, holding a pillow with two rings on it. Father Joseph assumed that the bride would be the next one to enter in this motley procession, and when he didn't see anything, he glanced over at the groom, worried. This wouldn't be the first wedding he had presided over where the bride had gotten cold feet at the last minute, so it was with no small amount of surprise that he took in the completely serene expression on the man's face. He seemed so confident, yet this entire ceremony had been so disorganized, haphazard, and rushed. It seemed like it had been organized by someone with only a very faint idea of how weddings were supposed to be run…

Just then, Joseph witnessed the groom's expression turn to one of joyful wonder and awe. He quickly turned to follow the other man's gaze and gasped in spite of himself. Coming down the aisle was, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. It wasn't just her looks, though they certainly weren't lacking, wither. No, the real beauty was something much less tangible, yet real all the same. She just seemed to radiate an aura of love and happiness that would've charmed anyone nearby. Joseph managed to tear his eyes away from her face long enough to see that her dress was a plain, modest affair with a fitted bodice, a long, full skirt that brushed the ground as she walked, delicate, lacy sleeves, and a small amount of beading along one side. She wore no jewelry except for an engagement ring, but then, she really didn't need any. It would have been entirely redundant.

She reached the archway and, almost without thinking, the priest went through the wedding ceremony, only hesitating when he came to the part where the couple had to exchange vows. He knew the man's name, but the woman's was a mystery. He paused to allow her to fill in her own name.

"Amelia Earhart," she inserted, grinning.

"Now, really, this isn't something to joke about, Miss," Joseph informed her tartly. He was feeling a little bit annoyed by now at being kept in the dark,

"Oh, I'm not joking, Father," she replied, her startlingly blue eyes opened wide as if to prove her innocence. "That really is my name, I promise."

He looked at her closely for another moment, then sighed and capitulated. "Very well. Amelia Earhart, then."

He continued on to the end of the ceremony without further mishap, pronounced them married, and told the groom to kiss his new wife. The man did so, holding her gently and kissing her so tenderly and sweetly that it was almost enough to make the onlookers weep. They pulled apart after a surprisingly short time, but they continued to gaze at each other with such obvious adoration that suddenly Father Joseph didn't feel annoyed at all about being dragged out to a museum in the middle of the night to marry two people whom he didn't even know. Seeing how much they obviously cared for each other made everything worthwhile.

The spell was broken when the groom looked over at Joseph and grinned. "You're invited to the reception if you'd like to come, but I suspect you'd rather head home to process all of this." He waved his hand around vaguely to include the entire museum. "Just…take my advice on this. There are some things that you're better off not knowing. And thank you so much for marrying us. The check will be in the mail as promised. Now, go on home and get some sleep. I have to go dance with my wife." He grinned. "I love saying that." Turning away, he waved at a small capuchin monkey standing near a sound system. "Hit it Dexter!" The monkey pushed a button and music came over the PA system. Larry hurried away to find his bride, tossing another quick thank you over his shoulder as he went.

Joseph shook his head and started out of the museum. Just before he reached the doors, Teddy Roosevelt stopped him. Wonderful ceremony, my good fellow! I was wondering, however, if you'd be willing to come back to perform another. You see, there's this lovely girl I wish to propose to, and if she says yes…" The President clapped his hand to Joseph's shoulder. "Well, just consider it, my dear fellow. Carry on!" He hurried away, presumably to fins his lady friend.

The priest stared after him for a moment before continuing out there door. He hailed a passing cab and headed home, and as he undressed and crawled into his bed, he smiled to himself. "Even if this was all a dream, this is one night I'll never forget." Just before losing consciousness, he resolved to visit during the museum's night hours sometime very soon…

**~FIN~**

**A/N: Woo! I'm done! lol. Just to be clear on everything, the reason I was wasking earlier about a sequel or not was because, as some of you may be wondering, no, Amelia is not human. Not yet. I was having trouble trying to think of a way to make it happen without it being all cliche and stuff, so I just ended it here. I was trying to give myself some time to come up with a plan, outline, and write a sequel. lol. So let me know if you want a continuation or not. Like I said a few chapters before, I'm writing for Star Trek Voyager at the moment, but that one's just a little character study oneshot that won't take me very long. Then, if enough people are interested, I'll write the sequel. Review and let me know! Thanks, everyone for sticking with me this long (especially my solitary reviewer for the last chapter. You rock!) I hope all of you enjoyed this! See you around!**


End file.
